Chicago high-rise fire may change standards

The repeat of a fire tragedy in a Chicago high-rise should have been prevented.

By Source: Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board December 14, 2009
Chicago

Early Dec. 10, a fatal fire at the 44-story building at 260 E. Chestnut St. in Chicago claimed the life of one individual, injuring at least 12, including five of the hundreds of firefighters present.

The tragic event needlessly repeats a January 2002 fire in the same building that also claimed one individual’s life and injured 11, including eight firefighter injuries. This recurrence should not have happened and surely calls into question the effectiveness of the "minimum requirements" of the City of Chicago’s Life Safety Evaluation (LSE). Had fire sprinklers been installed, residents would have had the additional time needed to safely escape the building and the fire would not have grown to flashover-the temperature at which everything in the room combusts.
Read the full story from the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB).