Photos Of Lawrence House CFD Fire Drill

The Chicago Fire Department had four trucks and a mobile command center in front of Lawrence House retirement apartments this morning. Gad, I thought when I saw them, a second fire there since June 6, the third since March 9? Thankfully not, it was just a drill and "learning excercise" for firefighters. One of the fire officials on the scene told me that they were at Lawrence House to review their reaction to the June 6 fire and to use the experience to improve future responses. There have been accusations made by residents that the fire escapes are "falling apart on the second floor." However, when asked about that, the same CFD official told me that he was not aware of those allegations and, as far as he could tell, the escapes looked "okay." Indeed, when I stepped into the alley for a close look, they did not appear to be "falling apart" to my non-expert eye (see photos below; click images to enlarge them). However, Lake Effect News reports that, at the time of the March 9 fire, there were 46 open code violations including a "broken" fire escape.

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