Joliet Battalion Chief Aids in Rescue
At 8:17 a.m. the Joliet Fire Department responded to 115 Essington Road for a report of an apartment fire with residents trapped.
Battalion Chief Dan Berta was returning from a motor vehicle accident on I-80 and was just down the street when the initial alarm was received. He was the first unit on the scene and advised incoming units that three people—a mother, father, and a 3-year-old child—were trapped on a third-story balcony.
A maintenance worker on scene retrieved an extension ladder from a nearby shed. The maintenance worker and Chief Berta laddered the third-floor balcony together.
As they were positioning the ladder, the male occupant was already hanging from the balcony, attempting to lower himself to the second-floor balcony by holding onto the railing. He lost his grip and fell to the ground.
Chief Berta instructed the mother to remain where she was. He then climbed the ladder, rescued the 3-year-old child, and brought the child safely to the ground. He returned up the ladder, helped the mother over the railing, and assisted her down. All three individuals were evaluated at the scene and refused further medical treatment.
The following arriving units reached the scene within five minutes of the initial call and found heavy fire coming from an upper unit of the three-story garden apartment building. Fire crews initiated an interior attack and encountered heavy fire in the attic. A primary search of the entire structure was conducted and proved negative.
After completing the primary search, interior crews were withdrawn, and operations transitioned to a defensive strategy. Once the heavy attic fire was knocked down using master streams, crews re-entered the structure to extinguish remaining hot spots and perform a secondary search, which was also negative.
Approximately 15 people were in the structure at the time of the fire. All other occupants were able to evacuate safely on their own. Seven residents were treated at the scene for minor injuries. All residents have been accounted for.
The building contained 12 residential units, housing a total of 39 individuals. The fire was declared under control at 9:23 a.m. There were no injuries to firefighters. Fire crews remained on scene until 11:45 a.m.
Firefighters from Joliet Fire Stations 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 responded, totaling 40 personnel. The Joliet Office of Emergency and Disaster Management was on scene, along with Will County Emergency Management. They coordinated the relocation of displaced residents with assistance from the Red Cross.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.