VIDEO: Fire showing with knock on the fire by Palatine’s Quint 83 crew on the south side of the six-story condo building (VIDEO CREDIT: Suminder Puri).
Palatine police and firefighter/paramedics responded about 4:42 AM Wednesday to an activated fire alarm 1275 East Baldwin Road Palatine, IL. While responding, police and firefighter/paramedics received a report that smoke was showing on the sixth floor.
First crews on the scene reported it appeared that some smoke was coming from the roof near an air conditioning unit.
Quint 83’s crew reported seeing a header from Dundee Road and Route 53 at about 4:50 a.m.
The fire was upgraded to a working fire response at about 4:50 a.m.
Firefighters received a report from residents that there was a fire in Unit 609. Palatine Fire Department Engine 82 encountered heavy fire in the condo unit.
Fire command requested one additional Tower Ladder to the working fire response at 4:52 a.m. Arlington Heights Tower Ladder 1 was assigned as the second tower ladder truck.
VIDEO: Palatine Fire Department official news brief from Deputy Chief Patrick Gratzianna reports one resident injured in the affected condo unit and one firefighter with minor injury.
Quint 83’s crew was assigned to the rear of the building on the south side, and an unmanned aerial device on the quint was used to direct a stream of water directly on the fire that was showing on the sixth floor.
The fire limited to the unit and was not in the hallway at 4:55 a.m. A crew requested a hotel pack to the east stairwell. Squad 85’s crew was assigned to bring up the hotel packs.
Ambulance 83’s crew reported they had one burn victim with oxygen being administered in the ambulance at the rear of the building by about 4:55 a.m.
Arlington Heights Engine 4’s crew was assigned to bring in a second line with hotel packs at about 4:58 a.m.
An additional ambulance was requested, since one ambulance crew was treating a patient. Lake Zurich’s ambulance was moved up to the scene after standing by in a Palatine fire station.
Simultaneously firefighting crews worked to evacuated residents. A woman and a man escaped to her balcony on the north side of the building, but they were not immediately threatened by smoke or fire.
Then central stairwell was used for evacuation while the stairwell on the north (east) side of the building was used for fire attack.
Quint 83 reported a good knock on the fire by about 5:07 a.m.
A MABAS Box Alarm was requested at about 5:08 a.m. which brought additional firefighting crews from Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Lake Zurich, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and other communities.
A man and a woman were evacuated from the northeast front-side of the building in Arlington Heights Tower Ladder 1’s platform. Three family members also were stranded on a balcony northwest of the fire. The family also retreated to the balcony for fresh air as their condo unit filled with a haze that made it difficult to breath. When the front door of the unit was opened, the unit quickly filled with heavy smoke. When the door was closed, the smoke was held back, but the residents still found it better to get on the balcony.
Firefighters in Palatine Tower Ladder 85 brought the platform to their balcony, but decided to wait and evacuate the residents when the air was safe in the hallway.
One firefighter received a minor injury.
VIDEO: Ladder rescues at the front of the building while firefighters also work prevent flare-ups in the burned condo unit and to ventilate the building to return it to safe breathing conditions.
LIVE TRAFFIC MAP of neighborhood of condo unit fire, 1275 East Baldwin Road Palatine, IL …
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