Tinley Park, IL (January 30, 2025) – On January 25, 2023, the Harper Square fire was the first of 17 fires in unsprinklered residential high-rise residences in Chicago that year. It resulted in one fatality, multiple injuries, hundreds of residents displaced, and millions of dollars in property loss and displacements.
Erik Hoffer, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, compares the incident to the early 2025 California wildfires. “Losing more than 100 residences due to fire in a high-rise building should be viewed as no less tragic than that number of residences lost to fire in a neighborhood. They are both equally devastating to the residents themselves who face long-term displacement and deserve the attention of the public and elected officials,” he says.
For Harper Square residents, the last two years have been a time of uncertainty, stress, frustration and exhaustion as costs mount and insurance coverage has been exhausted. Unfortunately, a similar tragedy could strike again since fire sprinklers are not being retrofit during reconstruction after the fire.
Harper Square was built before the 1975 City of Chicago Code requiring fire sprinklers in all new high-rises. Today, more than 600 residential high-rise buildings in Chicago stand without full fire sprinkler protection, with cost often cited as the reason not to retrofit fire sprinklers.
However, the real question of cost is, “What is the cost of NOT installing fire sprinklers when a fire occurs?” Harper Square is a model example of post-fire costs far exceeding the cost of installing fire sprinklers.
Fire sprinklers prevent these tragedies. Heat from a fire individually activates each sprinkler to extinguish or control the fire while it is small, allowing residents to safely escape. Fire sprinklers are the most effective solution to reduce fire risk, protecting residents, firefighters and property.
“Fire may have shaped Chicago’s history, but we mustn’t let it shape our future,” states Erik Hoffer, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board. “The time is now for our city leaders to readdress fire safety in Chicago’s high-rises – passive fire protection is not enough. Fire sprinklers are the answer.”
For more information about the 17 Chicago high-rise fires in 2023, please visit: https://highriselifesafety.com/high-rise-fires-in-2023/
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