Firefighters Battle 2-Alarm Fire at Former Ramada Inn Hotel in Waukegan, IL 05/01/24

Описание: On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 4:31 PM, the Waukegan Fire Department and Waukegan Police Department responded to multiple reports of smoke coming from the west side of the former Ramada Inn, 200 North Green Bay Road, in Waukegan, IL.

Firefighters arrived and found heavy smoke and fire showing from the rear (west side) of the two-story building on the first floor extending to the second floor, Waukegan Fire Marshal Todd Zupec said in a statement. Crews initiated a defensive attack by staying on the exterior because the building has been vacant for several years.

"Extensive manpower was used to gain access to the structure due to the fact it is boarded up over most window openings and doorways," Zupec said. "Crews worked extensively to get access and extinguish the fire with handlines from the exterior," Zupec added. Zupec told Woo-Sung Shim at the scene that the biggest challenge was gaining access to the "heavily fortified" building.

At 4:55 PM, fire command requested MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Box Alarm #16-1 to the box alarm level, bringing fire apparatus from multiple departments in Lake County, IL to the scene and to Waukegan's five fire stations for change of quarters. At 6:06 PM, fire command upgraded MABAS Box Alarm #16-1 to the second alarm level for engines only.

At least three supply lines were connected to nearby fire hydrants for positive water supplies. Crews also cut parts of the fencing surrounding the property to make way for the supply lines. Waukegan FD Truck 161 and Gurnee FD Tower 131 were deployed to apply water to the fire that had burned through the roof of the building, Zupec said. One firefighter suffered exhaustion and was treated at the scene. No one else was injured, Zupec said.

The box alarm was struck out at around 9:30 PM. Firefighters remained on the scene to extinguish hot spots. Zupec said that the fire was contained to one of the five buildings that make up the vacant hotel complex.

As of the time of this video upload, a cause of the fire or a damage estimate is not available. However, the building sustained "extensive" damage on the first and second floors.

"This building has been vacant for many years and has a history of squatters entering and staying in the building, Zupec said. "The preliminary investigation shows this fire may have been intentionally set," Zupec added. A resident nearby told Woo-Sung Shim at the scene that he possibly saw a suspicious individual on the property earlier in the afternoon.

The building also caught on fire in February 2022, according to Lake & McHenry County Scanner (https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/20....

The Waukegan Fire Department was assisted by the Beach Park, Deerfield-Bannockburn, Gurnee, Mundelein, North Chicago, Lake Villa, Libertyville, Newport Township, Zion, and Grayslake fire departments.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
1:07 - Video of the Scene
22:21 - Interview with Waukegan Fire Marshal
24:13 - Photos of the Scene
34:11 - Outro

Audio provided by Broadcastify
Video and Photos by Woo-Sung Shim

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