JOHN KUESTER MANOR

BELFOR restores the John Kuester Manor, a senior residential apartment building owned and managed by the Lake County Housing Authority (LCHA, after an accidental rooftop fire.

On a cold spring day, a routine install by an HVAC contractor ended in the accidental rooftop fire at the John Kuester Manor, a senior residential apartment building owned and managed by the Lake County Housing Authority (LCHA). This normally quiet Chicago suburb was quickly responded to by the heroes of the Wauconda Fire District, along with surrounding fire departments from Lake Zurich and Round Lake Beach. Their rapid intervention ensured the safety of all residents, but the damage displaced 25 seniors. With snow in the forecast, the property management team needed a solution – fast.

The lead came to the BELFOR Chicago office from the BELFOR National Response Center. The BELFOR team met with the LCHA Director of Public Housing the next day, and BELFOR was awarded the project. By the next morning, our local Chicago-area technicians – using headlamps and battery operated lights – were working onsite to mitigate the soggy and smoky damage.