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Community Corner

The Day the Historic Water Tower Caught Fire

In 1991, lightning struck the Village's historic Water Tower. The resulting fire would burn for nearly seven hours.

On August 30, 1991, the Village of Western Springs was just four months away from celebrating the 100th anniversary of the construction of its historic Water Tower. But, in the early morning hours, lightning struck the Tower.

As background, there had been several lightning strikes reported in the village around one o’clock that morning, and authorities had received calls concerning the odor of smoke in the air. But, no fires were visible. The lightning bolt that hit the Tower had penetrated the roof and caused a smoldering fire in the roof’s wooden substructure. It was not until 4:48 a.m. that flames became visible and the fire department notified.

Recognizing the potential magnitude of the fire, twelve nearby fire departments also responded to assist Western Springs’ firefighters. In total three ladder trucks, four engines, and two squads were on the scene throughout the fire.

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Arriving firefighters immediately recognized that they had two major challenges. First, because the Tower housed the Historical Society’s museum, they would have to cover or remove as many artifacts as possible. Second, the only interior access to the roof was a narrow ladder that could not accommodate firemen with bulky breathing apparatus. As a result, the fire would have to be fought from the outside using aerial ladders.

While several fire departments had 85-foot and 100-foot aerial ladders, they could not reach the top of the 112-foot-tall tower. Fortunately, the Village of Westmont responded with its 135-foot aerial ladder truck, which enabled firefighters to reach the roof and attack the fire close-up. See second photo.

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By 8 a.m., the fire was extinguished. However, two years of work would be required before the museum could reopen. Countless volunteer hours would be spent painting and wallpapering the interior structure. While a large doll house was severely damaged, it and virtually all of the other artifacts would be restored and placed back on exhibit.

The Village would face its own daunting task of restoring the 100-year-old structure to its original state. Although insurance would pay for removing the debris and much of the structural damage, the reconstruction had to adhere to the Tower’s original design. And, the need to do this work 112 feet above the ground made the job even more challenging. See third photo.

When the Tower reconstruction was finished in October 1993, the Historical Society hosted a grand re-opening. And, surprisingly, the general opinion was that the interior appearance was better than before. Plus, the Tower even got a new lightning rod, as well as a sprinkler system and a fire detection system.

One little known fact is that this was not the Water Tower’s first fire. In March 1933, the Tower’s soot-coated chimney caught fire and eventually spread to the roof. However, this time, the fire was spotted quickly and firefighters were able to shoot streams of water from the ground level and extinguish the flames with minimal damage to the structure.

Each week, the Western Springs Historical Society presents a “Blast from the Past”. To view prior stories, visit us at www.westernspringshistory.org or just click on the author’s name shown above.

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