Tag Archives: Illinois

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Alton, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire in hotel room; No injuries reported

Firefighters were called to the Best Western Premier hotel at 3559 College Ave. in Alton at 9:18 p.m. Friday for a one-room fire.

According to authorities, a fire in the couch of an unoccupied room set off the hotel’s sprinkler system, which extinguished the blaze before firefighters arrived. The hotel immediately evacuated more than 100 people including those who had gathered for a function in a meeting room and a 10-year-old’s birthday pool party.

Tired guests wanting to sleep stood and sat outside of the hotel on all four sides. Firefighters scrambled to shut off the sprinkler system as water poured out of the room and into the first floor hallway.

The room was reported to have been heavily damaged. Fire department officials on Friday night said they had not determined how the fire started in the unoccupied room.

Firefighters made sure the fire was completely out before guests were allowed back in the hotel at 10:01 p.m.

The night wasn’t a complete disappointment, as firefighters let the birthday girl and her guests sit in a fire truck before they left.

The cause of the fire is under investigation; no injuries were reported.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Woodbridge, IL – Sprinkler system contains kitchen fire at nursing home; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system helped keep a fire contained to a kitchen inside a Woodridge nursing home Tuesday night, authorities said.

The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District was notified of the blaze at about 9:15 p.m. after a fire alarm went off at the Cedarhurst senior living community along 75th Street. Responding firefighters encountered heavy smoke and fire conditions in the kitchen area.

Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the fire, but the cause appears accidental, Deputy Fire Chief Steve Demas said Wednesday.

The building’s sprinkler system held the fire to the kitchen. Firefighters used a hose line to extinguish the blaze within a few minutes.

“We did have smoke spread, but it could have been a significant issue for us given the age demographic” of the building’s residents, Demas said.

Officials estimate the fire caused about $100,000 in damage, Demas said.

“Installed sprinkler systems are the most effective tool in our toolbox, as it relates to community risk reduction efforts,” Fire Chief Keith Krestan said in a statement.

Due to the smoke, residents were temporarily relocated to other areas of the building. No injuries were reported.

Crews from the Darien-Woodridge Fire Protection District as well as the Westmont and Downers Grove fire departments assisted Lisle-Woodridge firefighters.

Apartment Building, Historic Building, Other Business, Residential

Rockford, IL – Sprinkler system contains fire in historic apartment building; No injuries reported

Eight residents need temporary housing after a fire broke out in the historic Faust Landmark apartment building.

Firefighters received an alarm call from the building at 630 E. State St. around 9:20 p.m. Monday. Investigators in the fire department say the flames started in a 10th floor bedroom. The sprinkler system contained the flames until crews arrived to extinguish the rest.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. They estimate the damage at $5,000. No one was injured in this incident, and the Red Cross is helping the residents find a place to stay.

Apartment Building, Residential

Naperville, IL – Sprinkler system activated for residential kitchen fire; No injuries reported

At 1:40 a.m. on Wednesday February 8th, Naperville’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) received an alarm on their board for an activated fire alarm in the 1800 block of North Naperville Road. Naperville 911(PSAP) dispatched a general alarm assignment consisting of 10 pieces of fire apparatus and 24 personnel including an Incident Commander and Incident Safety Officer to the reported address. 

At 1:45 a.m. the first vehicle arrived on scene and noted many of the occupants were in the process of evacuating. As the crews began investigating the alarm, they encountered light smoke and an activated sprinkler head in the kitchen. Fire companies located a trash can that was burning in the cooking area. The sprinkler system kept the fire in check until it could be fully extinguished by fire service personnel. At 1:52 a.m. the fire was fully extinguished. Crews remained on the scene another 30 minutes assisting the building management with the sprinkler system.  

The cause is fire was ruled accidental.  There were no injuries to any occupants or firefighters while operating on scene and the building was deemed to be habitable, however, the kitchen will remain closed until it can be inspected by county health department The fire is estimated to have caused less than $500 in damages.

Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical

Zion, IL – Fire at Cancer Treatment Center extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire officials say a fire was quickly extinguished by a sprinkler system inside the Cancer Treatment Centers of America hospital in Zion Monday afternoon.

Zion Fire-Rescue District Lt. Ian Kennedy said dispatchers received notification from an alarm monitoring company around 12:23 p.m. Monday for a fire alarm that had been activated at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 2520 Elisha Avenue in Zion.

Firefighters arrived and found light smoke inside the building.

They also found a charred wall and a charred construction utility cart, Kennedy said. One sprinkler head had activated.

An investigation showed that workers cutting some type of material led to a power cord, which was in contact with copper and flammable materials, being damaged and causing the fire.

The fire occurred in an area of the hospital that was under construction, Kennedy said.

No patients or employees were near the immediate location of the incident. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters ensured the fire had not spread, performed ventilation and shut down the sprinkler system.

Zion Fire-Rescue Department Fire Chief Justin Stried said the hospital’s sprinkler system did its job and contained the fire until firefighters arrived and confirmed it had not spread.

Kennedy said it was a concern that there could have been considerable resource needs for patients, families and employees should the fire have turned out bigger than it was.

The Winthrop Harbor Fire Department assisted Zion firefighters at the scene. A preliminary estimate shows there was $5,000 in damage.

Residential, Single Family Home

Streamwood, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire in basement of home

A fire that started in the basement of an unoccupied Streamwood home Saturday didn’t cause serious damage thanks to the sprinkler system, officials said.

Streamwood fire crews responded to the home on Moraine Court around 5 p.m. but found only light smoke coming from a basement window, according to a news release.

Officials said the fire was extinguished by the automatic sprinkler system so the damage to the home was minimal. Upon inspection, officials determined the fire had been started by a lithium battery pack that malfunctioned while being charged, the release said.

The village of Streamwood has required fire sprinklers installed in all new homes since 2002.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Vernon Hills, IL – Sprinkler system activated for early morning fire at warehouse; No injuries reported

Several departments responded to a smoky fire early today at a warehouse/distribution center in the Corporate Woods campus in Vernon Hills.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the blaze and extent of damage at Automotive Keys Group, 633 Hickory Hill Drive, is being investigated.

The Lincolnshire Riverwoods Fire Protection District was dispatched to the business at 4:24 a.m. through an automatic fire alarm.

First-arriving emergency crews encountered heavy smoke throughout the large warehouse, according to Battalion Chief Steve McCaughey.

The call was upgraded to a working fire scenario, which brought firefighters from the Deerfield, Countryside, Lake Zurich and Long Grove fire protection districts and Buffalo Grove, Lake Forest, Wheeling and Libertyville municipal fire departments.

An automatic sprinkler system was activated before firefighters arrived, keeping the blaze from growing before it could be completely extinguished, McCaughey said. Nobody was at the facility when the alarm was sounded, he added.

McCaughey said extensive smoke hampered crews and a special mobile ventilation unit was used to clear the warehouse and office spaces.

According to its website, AKG is a leading remanufacturer and distributor of replacement automotive keyless entry remotes, other key replacements and related equipment.

In April 2021, the company consolidated locations with Locksmith Resources and Midwest Keyless in a new facility in Vernon Hills featuring centralized distribution and a training facility.

Investigators from Lincolnshire-Riverwoods were assisted by Vernon Hills police at the scene.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Urbana, IL – Sprinkler system contains fire at food distribution facility; No injuries reported

Crews were called out to a fire at the U.N.F.I food distribution facility Tuesday morning just after 2:00. 

The 2nd alarm fire at 2611 N. Lincoln Ave. had moderate smoke and fire visible near a rooftop chiller unit located near the center of the building. 

The facility operates 24/7. Employees were already evacuating when crews arrived. 

The ladder truck was used to get access to the roof from outside.

The fire was contained to a 20’ x 20’ roof area around a chiller unit located above a mechanical and maintenance room.

There was minimal smoke inside the structure.

An interior building sprinkler head had also been activated.

The fire was extinguished, and the incident brought under control within an hour with no injuries reported.

The Urbana Fire Department was assisted by Champaign Fire Department, Carle Arrow Ambulance, and Ameren Electric.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Complete damage estimates are undetermined due to operational downtime and possible equipment damage.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Rockford, IL – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at high rise apartment building; No injuries reported

The Rockford Fire Department says no one was hurt after a fire in a high-rise apartment building in downtown Rockford Friday.

RFD says firefighters were first called to the Olesen Plaza apartments in the 500 block of N. Church St. at around 4:40 p.m. Friday for the smell of smoke and alarms going off on the third floor of the building.

As first responders were on their way to the scene, people on the third floor noticed water coming from under the door of the apartment where the fire had happened.

As crews got to the scene, they found moderate smoke coming from the window of the third-story apartment. As they got inside, firefighters found a small dire that had been put out by the building’s sprinkler system.

The person living in that apartment was not present at the time of the fire. No residents, pets, or firefighters were hurt during the fire and following evacuation.

Fire crews worked with members of the Rockford Housing Authority, which owns Olesen Plaza, to clear out the smoke and to drain the water after the sprinkler system was shut down.

RFD officials say the fire was caused accidentally by “careless smoking.” Investigators estimate the damage caused by the fire at $65,000.

Olesen Plaza is 14 stories tall and houses around 140 people, according to the Rockford Fire Department.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Oswego, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at movie theater

A sprinkler system put out a fire at the Classic Cinemas Kendall 11 movie theater Friday night. The theater is located at 95 Fifth Street in Oswego.

A news release from the Oswego Fire Protection District says firefighters responded to the building at around 8:30. The fire was in a boiler room on the theater’s second floor. People in the theater were evacuated and the building’s sprinkler system was activated.

One theater employee was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. No one else was hurt.

The fire protection district says the cause of the fire was due to an issue with a faulty water heater.