Video: Chicago FFs battle blaze inside concrete supermarket
Heavy equipment was needed to breach the concrete structure for ventilation
By Bill Carey
FireRescue1
CHICAGO — Chicago firefighters had a difficult time fighting a fire in a Chinatown supermarket on Aug. 23. The all-concrete structure made ventilation difficult for firefighters.
Firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire at the Park to Shop grocery store on South Archer Avenue at approximately 3:30 a.m., WLS reported.
A Chicago Fire Department district chief said the city's building department was called to bring heavy equipment to pierce the walls.
2121 Archer 2-11. Truss roof supermarket. Heavy contents. Concrete construction. Ventilation is challenging. CFD mobile ventilation unit on scene. Multiple lines on fire no injuries. Rehab in progress (4 1 7) pic.twitter.com/DaJhdVvbsD
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) August 23, 2023
Excessive heat added to the difficulty in fighting the fire, causing firefighters to be rotated through a rehab sector for evaluation by EMS.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries.
