Fire Extinguisher Factory Goes Up in Flames

A building on Chicago’s Southwest Side that contains a fire extinguisher manufacturing business went up in flames late Thursday, prompting a hazardous materials response that required more than 150 firefighters. A portion of the building, on the 4000 block of South Pulaski Road, near Interstate 55 -- the Stevenson Expressway -- collapsed under the intense flames. The fire ultimately elevated to three alarms, requiring the help of 156 firefighters and 26 pieces of equipment. The HazMat response that had been called because of the materials used to make fire extinguishers was canceled shortly before 4 a.m., but crews still had water pouring on the building in an attempt to tamp down hotspots underneath the rubble.