Excerpts from the dailyherald.com:
Prospect Heights Fire Chief Drew Smith recalls that the apartment fire that occurred last Monday night in Mount Prospect, which displaced around 100 residents, had a layout nearly identical to a 2018 fire in Prospect Heights. That earlier blaze, at the River Trails Condominium complex, destroyed 24 units and damaged 72 more, leaving many people homeless.
What connects these fires, along with several other major apartment blazes in the suburbs since 2018, is the presence of mansard-style roofs. These roofs were popular among builders in the 1960s and 1970s because they provide extra living space on the top floor. However, they pose significant challenges for firefighters, as they can hide flames from water, making it harder to control the fire.
"Unfortunately, the reality is that until the fire burns through the roof, the water can’t reach the flames. By then, it’s usually too late," said Smith.
Similar incidents have occurred in recent years, including a devastating fire at Windhaven condominiums in Palatine in 2023, which left 22 units uninhabitable; the Puente Del Pueblo apartments in West Chicago last year, displacing about 100 residents; and the Bristol Court condominium complex in Park Ridge in 2022, which injured five people and made an entire 36-unit building unsafe.
The latest fire at the Orion Parkview Apartments in Mount Prospect began in the cockloft of the 36-unit building. The extreme heat made it impossible for firefighters to attack the fire from inside, so they had to switch to a defensive strategy, fighting the blaze from the outside.
Unlike the common areas below, the attic did not have sprinklers, and the mansard roof prevented water from reaching the flames as they spread.
Named after 17th-century French architect François Mansart, the mansard roof was originally popular in French homes. It features sloping sides, often covered with shingles, and has recessed windows. Though less common in the U.S. after the 1970s, many older buildings still feature this design, especially in suburban areas.
Smith wrote a report in 2006 on a fire at River Trails, the same complex that was damaged in 2018. In his report for Fire Engineering, he detailed how fire and smoke could spread within the roof structure.
"During the investigation, we could look into the mansard from the third-floor corner apartment and see it run the entire length of the building without any fire stops," he wrote.
The most effective solution would be to install sprinklers, but retrofitting attics with them after construction is both expensive and technically challenging. As a result, many older buildings remain vulnerable to such dangerous fires.
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