On June 1st, 1917, a significant fire broke out in Chicago, labeled as the 3-11 Alarm fire. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time that particular building had experienced such an incident. Back on April 24, 1983, there was another major fire classified as a 2-11 Alarm within the same structure. Despite extensive research, none of our contributors have been able to locate photographs from that earlier blaze.
Attached below is an image showing the Chicago Fire Department's extra alarm listings for April 1983, which highlights the severity of these incidents.
This account comes from Steve Redick, who shared his experiences from the scene:
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"Early Thursday morning—right at the height of the morning rush hour—I witnessed a fire at 2945 Milwaukee Avenue. The structure involved was a two-story furniture store, with its upper floor entirely enclosed by brick veneer. The fire spread rapidly, engulfing the entire building. It eventually caused severe damage to what I believe was a bowstring truss roof, leading to its collapse. Photographing under these conditions was challenging due to alternating patches of bright sunlight and deep shadows. However, I managed to capture some unique moments, including Squad 2’s newly acquired ‘snorkel’ fully deployed and operational, alongside several tower ladder operations and even glimpses of the spare snorkel. It was also fascinating to observe Engine 69 connected to a hydrant directly in front of Engine 91’s former station at 3000 N Elbridge, just a short distance from the rear of the fire building. Among the hundreds of images I took that day, here’s a sample—you can view all of them along with the accompanying video [here]."
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Below are some of the images Steve captured during the incident. While I cannot display the full gallery here, you can access it through the provided link.
*Chicago FD extra alarm listing for April 1983.*
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If you're interested in seeing more detailed visuals or videos, click the link above to explore the complete collection. This event remains a notable chapter in Chicago’s firefighting history, especially given the recurring nature of fires in this location over the years. Let me know if you'd like further details or additional context!
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