Thursday night was a busy one in the baiduhai newsroom. With the launch of our new website the office buzzed with activity long after most people would usually have gone home. Just as Peter Nickeas and I were headed out into the city for the night we heard a call on the police scanner for a fire at 24th and Rockwell in the Little Village neighborhood.
We took Lower Wacker from Tribune Tower and by the time we hit the circle interchange a massive plume of thick black smoke could be seen rising into the sky, illuminated orange from the fire below. As Peter drove I took photographs out of the passenger side window hoping to convey a sense of size. We heard on the scanner that the fire was in a lot filled with wooden pallets which was clearly fueling the blaze.
When we arrived at the scene police hadn’t closed off the surrounding streets yet so we raced from the car to get as close as we safely could before that happened. Only one fire engine was near our position when we got there and the firefighters were busy setting up water lines to douse the flames. As they worked they were silhouetted against the huge wall of fire.
After several hours three buildings, at least half a dozen semi trailers and thousands of pallets had been destroyed. At one point, fire crews were using so much water that the Water Department had to increase water pressure at the Western Avenue pumping station to prevent the water mains from collapsing. Thankfully no one was injured.
To read Peter’s story click HERE and for a full gallery of images click HERE.