Excerpts from the dailyherald.com:
Prospect Heights Fire Chief Drew Smith recently shared his concerns about a recent apartment fire in Mount Prospect that displaced around 100 residents. He noted that the layout of the building was strikingly similar to a 2018 fire at the River Trails Condominium complex in Prospect Heights, which had previously destroyed 24 units and damaged 72 more, leaving many families without homes.
What connects these incidents—and several other major apartment fires in the suburbs since 2018—is the presence of mansard-style roofs. These distinctive roof designs, popular with builders in the 1960s and 1970s, offer extra living space on the top floor but pose serious challenges for firefighters. The steep slopes and enclosed structure can hide flames from water, making it harder to control the fire early on.
"Unfortunately, until the fire burns through the roof, the water can’t reach the flames," said Smith. "By the time it does, it’s often too late."
Similar issues have been seen in other suburban fires, including the 2023 Windhaven condominium blaze in Palatine, which left 22 units uninhabitable, and last year’s fire at Puente Del Pueblo in West Chicago, which displaced nearly 100 people. In 2022, a fire at Bristol Court in Park Ridge injured five residents and made an entire 36-unit building unsafe to live in.
Last week’s fire at Orion Parkview Apartments in Mount Prospect began in the cockloft of a 36-unit building. Due to the intense heat, firefighters were unable to attack the fire from inside and had to switch to a defensive strategy from the outside.
The attic area, unlike common spaces below, lacked sprinklers, and the mansard roof design prevented water from reaching the flames as they spread.
Named after French architect François Mansart, the mansard roof became popular in the 17th century and was widely used in European architecture. It features a double slope with large windows, giving buildings a unique and elegant look. Though less common in the U.S. after the 1970s, many older suburban buildings still feature this design.
Smith documented a similar fire at River Trails in 2006 in a report for Fire Engineering. His findings highlighted how quickly fire and smoke could spread within the mansard roof structure.
"During overhaul and investigation, you could look into the mansard from the third-floor corner apartment and see it run the entire length of the building without a fire stop," he wrote.
While installing sprinklers in attics is the most effective solution, it's often expensive and difficult to retrofit existing buildings. As a result, many older structures remain vulnerable to such devastating fires.
Introduce the use and types of CNC lathe chuck
Introduces the definition of CNC lathe collet
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Introduces the use of CNC lathe collet for you
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Introduces the types of CNC lathe chuck
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