Sunday Morning Fire Calls Out 7 Fire Departments in Illinois

A LARGE FIRE SWEPT THROUGH A CENTURY-OLD storage / work building in Glenview, Illinois, early Sunday morning.  The heavy fire in the 14,000 sq. ft. structure challenged  the Glenview Fire Dept. and the mutual-aid companies to contain it while several pieces of heavy equipment inside burned and created mini-explosions during the incident.

photo by Larry Shapiro

The Pioneer Press tells us that:

The first arriving fire crews encountered heavy fire in the maintenance shop, extending to the rest of the structure.  Firefighters had to break through the building’s locked gates and used several large hose streams and ladder pipes to bring the fire under control, according to a press release issued by the fire department.

About 50 firefighters, from Glenview, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Northbrook, Northfield, Skokie, Wilmette and the North Maine Fire Protection District, fought the blaze. The fire was brought under control at 1:14 a.m.

photo by Larry Shapiro

Five firefighters were taken to Glenbrook Hospital for treatment of various injuries, which included knee pain, back pain, exhaustion and dizziness, the release said. The firefighters have all since been treated and released from the hospital, the release said.

The property is owned by the Glenview Park District and the fire building was being used as office space and equipment maintenance and storage.  The Glenview TribLocal reported that on Sunday morning, the district’s risk assessor, Tom Kolk, toured the building and said that it was too early to assess damage. The district stored five or six pieces of equipment, such as forklifts, inside the building. Another five pieces of equipment outside the building were likely destroyed as well, he said. The roof caved in, and the building is likely totalled, he said.

The building dates to 1909 when it was built to house a nursery business.  During WWII it was used by a firm that built bombsights for warplanes.  The Park District has occupied the property since acquiring it in 1953.

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ChicagoLand fire photographer Larry Shapiro has a 127-image photo gallery of the fire HERE.
Chicago Area Fire has MORE.

photo by Larry Shapiro