Excerpts from the dailyherald.com:
Prospect Heights Fire Chief Drew Smith recalls that the apartment fire that took place last Monday night in Mount Prospect, which displaced around 100 residents, had a layout very similar to a 2018 fire in Prospect Heights. That earlier blaze, at the River Trails Condominium complex, destroyed 24 units and damaged another 72, leaving many families homeless.
What connects these fires—and several other major apartment blazes in the suburbs since 2018—is the presence of mansard-style roofs. These types of roofs were popular with builders during the 1960s and 1970s because they provided extra living space on the top floor. However, they also pose a serious challenge for firefighters, as they can hide flames from water, making it harder to control the fire quickly.
“Unfortunately, the reality is that until the fire burns through the roof, the water can’t reach the flames,†Smith explained. “By that point, it’s usually too late.â€
In recent years, similar incidents have occurred across the suburbs. For example, a fire at Windhaven Condos in Palatine in 2023 left 22 units uninhabitable. Last year, the Puente Del Pueblo apartments in West Chicago saw about 100 people displaced. And in 2022, a fire at Bristol Court in Park Ridge injured five residents and made an entire 36-unit building unsafe to live in.
Last week’s fire at the Orion Parkview Apartments in Mount Prospect started in the cockloft of a 36-unit building. The intense heat made it impossible for firefighters to attack the fire from inside, so they had to switch to a defensive strategy from the outside.
Unlike the common areas below, the attic lacked sprinklers, and the mansard roof prevented water from reaching the flames as they spread.
Mansard roofs, named after 17th-century French architect Francois Mansart, first gained popularity in France. They are known for their sloping design, often covered with shingles and featuring recessed windows. Although they fell out of favor with U.S. builders after the 1970s, many older buildings in the suburbs still have them.
Smith wrote a report on a 2006 fire at River Trails, the same complex that was damaged again in 2018, for *Fire Engineering*. In his report, he described how fire and smoke could easily move through the roof structure.
“During the investigation, we could look into the mansard from the third-floor corner apartment and see it run the full length of the building without any fire stops,†he noted.
The most effective solution is to install sprinklers, but retrofitting attics with this system is both difficult and expensive. As a result, many older buildings remain vulnerable to such devastating fires.
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