Chongqing Huanyu Automobile Sales Company , http://www.huanyuauto.com
The Long Grove Fire Department received a call this morning regarding a house on fire at 1889 Checker Road. The home had been used for training purposes by the department and eight other local fire agencies over the past two weeks, with multiple interior fire drills conducted daily. The training concluded yesterday, and the structure was scheduled to be demolished for the developer this Saturday, with local residents invited to witness the controlled burn.
However, the incident turned out to be real. A neighbor initially thought the fire department might still be conducting training, which delayed the emergency call by about 20 minutes. Once it became clear that the fire was unattended, she alerted the authorities. In response, Long Grove dispatched its full team, including Tanker 55, as there are no hydrants in the area. The first arriving unit reported a working fire at the north end of the house, where a large stack of wooden pallets had been stored.
Firefighters quickly arrived on scene, finding the garage already down and the pallet storage fully involved in flames. Squad 55 provided five water lines, while Tanker 55 supplied 3,000 gallons of water to support the operation. Additional resources were called in, including tankers from Prospect Heights and Fox Lake, as well as engines from Buffalo Grove and Palatine, along with an ambulance from Arlington Heights for medical support.
Despite the intensity of the fire, much of the house was saved. The firefighters worked aggressively, using a 2.5-inch line to tackle the main fire area and applying foam to smoldering spots to conserve water. Prospect Heights Tanker 9 arrived just in time, providing another 3,000 gallons when Long Grove’s tanker ran low. The Fox Lake tanker made two trips to refill its tank due to the remote location of the house, which was half a mile into the property with a gravel driveway.
Photographers Larry Shapiro and Tim Olk captured the event, documenting the firefighters’ efforts as they worked to contain the blaze. The house is expected to be burned down this Saturday as planned. A full gallery of images from the fire can be viewed [here](#). Additionally, a selection of photos from the recent training sessions is available [here](#) and [here](#).
During the training, departments from Wheeling, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Arlington Heights, Lake Zurich, Buffalo Grove, and Barrington participated. Multiple evolutions were conducted, including interior fire attacks and victim searches. On the final day, the fires grew more intense, simulating real-world conditions for the firefighters. An iframe of the training footage is available [here](#).