**From Larry Shapiro:**
A homeowner in Prospect Heights called around 6:20 PM to report smoke inside their house at 415 Cherry Creek Lane. Given its location on the northern edge of the Prospect Heights Fire Protection District, the first responders to arrive were from Arlington Heights—Engine 4. They found light smoke and immediately pulled out a hose. Within just a few minutes, Prospect Heights units arrived, including Engine 39, Squad 9, Tanker 9, and Battalion 9.
Attached is a photo showing the smoke billowing from a second-floor window at 415 Cherry Creek Lane. This was taken by Larry Shapiro.
Another image captures Palatine firefighters raising a ladder to assist the interior teams.
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The house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac, in an area without fire hydrants. This posed a challenge for the firefighters. Long Grove’s Tanker 55 was dispatched as part of the Code 3 automatic aid response, along with Wheeling Engine 23 and Battalion 24, as well as Palatine Ambulance 83. The alarm was quickly upgraded to a Code 4 for a working fire, bringing in reinforcements like Northbrook Tower 12, Palatine Rural Tanker 36, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Squad 51, Glenview Ambulance 8, and Mt. Prospect Engine 14.
In the meantime, Prospect Heights Tanker 9 was busy “nursing†Arlington Heights Engine 4, supplying them with water from its 3,000-gallon tank. Another 3,000 gallons were added when Tanker 55 arrived. The nearest hydrant was across Hintz Road in Wheeling, about half a mile away. To bridge the gap, Squad 9 deployed their full bed of 1,500 feet of 5-inch hose, followed by Engine 39 laying another 700 feet. Since this supply line crossed Hintz Road, the police department activated an ILEAS Box Alarm, requesting additional units from Mt. Prospect, Arlington Heights, Wheeling, and Northbrook.
The hose stretched over 2,200 feet from the fire scene to the hydrant—a massive effort to keep the water flowing.
Prospect Heights Engine 39 was positioned across Hintz Road, ensuring continuous water supply through those 2,200 feet of hose.
Firefighters launched an interior attack, targeting what appeared to be a fire in a closet that had spread to multiple attic levels. Thick smoke poured out of the ridge vent, windows, and eaves. A vent hole was cut into the roof above the garage, allowing intense flames to escape.
As conditions worsened, the alarm was escalated to a Box Alarm. More resources were deployed, including a quint from Palatine, a tower ladder from Buffalo Grove, a Deerfield squad, a Morton Grove squad acting as Niles Service Truck 2, an Elk Grove Township tanker, engines from Des Plaines and North Maine. Chief officers from various districts also arrived to oversee operations, such as Niles Battalion 2 (temporarily taking over for North Maine Battalion 1), Glenview Battalion 6, Northbrook 1100, Wheeling 2400, and Long Grove 5500.
Despite the challenges, the interior teams managed to bring the fire under control before it reached critical levels, avoiding the need for an evacuation or a more dangerous defensive strategy. Many of the reinforcements brought in for the Box Alarm were stood down and did not have to engage directly.
Smoke continued to pour from the large, two-story house, but the worst seemed to be contained.
For those interested in more visuals, there's a full gallery of images available [here](link_to_gallery). Additionally, a video capturing some of the action has been uploaded.
This incident underscores the importance of coordinated efforts between departments, especially in areas lacking immediate access to hydrants.
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*Note: All photos were taken by Larry Shapiro.*
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