Tag Archives: Illinois

Other Business

Wheeling, IL – Fire at commercial laundry facility held in check by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

No injuries were reported in a fire Saturday night at a commercial laundry facility in Wheeling, fire officials said.

Crews responded about 8:30 p.m. to 45 W. Hintz Road for an activated alarm at Crothall Healthcare Laundry Systems, said Battalion Chief Mark Menzel of the Wheeling Fire Department. When they arrived, they found fire inside the business, which was closed and unoccupied.

The blaze was being “held in check” by an automatic sprinkler system, Menzel said. Firefighters finished extinguishing the fire and ventilated smoke from the building.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. An investigation is ongoing.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Morris, IL – Fire at Menards contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Morris Fire Department and several others responded to a fire at Menards in Morris around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday.  

Morris Fire Chief Tracy Steffes said the accidental fire was caused by a malfunctioning deep freeze that caused some racks of dry goods to catch fire.

The sprinkler system was activated containing the blaze until fire personnel could arrive. Steffes said this was an excellent example of where a fire suppression system saved a building from a multi-million dollar loss.

He also said a large amount of man power was needed to place fire attack lines into service due to size of the building. They also used the MABAS Division 10 large ventilation fan to clear smoke from building, which was filled with smoke from floor to ceiling. The fan came from the Lyons Fire Department.

The incident was investigated by the Illinois Fire Marshal’s Office, MABAS Division 15 Arson Investigators, Morris Police and Fire Departments. Estimated damages including loss of revenue due to being closed are at $1 million so far.

No injuries were reported and the business was closed on Sunday.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mount Prospect, IL – Fire sprinkler keeps fire at 70-unit apartment building in check

Mount Prospect Fire Department Chief Brian Lambel said an alarm inside the building at 701 Huntington Commons Road alerted the fire department to the situation just after 2:30 p.m.

A call then came into the department, reporting smoke in the building.

When firefighters arrived on the scene and discovered the fire was on the third floor, the call was upgraded to a code-4, or confirmed structure fire.

Fire departments from Elk Grove, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines and Elk Grove Township were then dispatched to support the Mount Prospect team.

Firefighters discovered the smoke was originating in a laundry room of the four-story, approximately 70-unit building. A single overhead sprinkler had kept the fire under control and firefighters were able to use an extinguisher to put out the remaining flames.

“The building was ventilated due to smoke on the third and fourth floors,” Lambel said, “Nobody was displaced.”

Arlington Heights Emergency Medical Service Division Chief Rick Manthy said an ambulance took a resident to a local hospital at 3:30 p.m. Citing HIPPA privacy restrictions Manthy was unable to provide further details.

According to Lambel, total apparatus on the scene included five engines, two trucks, five ambulances, five fire chiefs and seven other vehicles.

Lambel explained personnel from three of the ambulances were engaged in ventilation activities, one was on standby for firefighters and one was for evaluation of the patient.

Cause of the fire is under investigation.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Quincy, IL – Compressor fire kept in check by fire sprinklers

QUINCY, IL — Tri Township Fire responded to a fire at Titan International Inc. at 27th and Spruce in Quincy Tuesday night.

Assistant Fire Chief Darren Smith says the compressor caught fire in the compressor room around 6 p.m. and spread into the employee locker room.

Firefighters found heavy smoke on arrival.

Smith said even though the sprinkler system kept the fire in check, extensive repairs are needed.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Crystal Lake, IL – Sprinkler system contains fire at auto body shop; No injuries reported

A fire at Crystal Lake Auto Body is under investigation after it caused $35,000 in damage Monday morning, fire officials said.

The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department was called at 11:23 a.m. Monday to Crystal Lake Auto Body, 7218 North Virginia Road, for a report of a structure fire.

The first fire crew arrived on scene in four minutes and reported a working fire with smoke coming from the roof, fire officials said. The occupants of the building were able to evacuate before the fire department arrived.

An offensive attack strategy was used and crews entered into the building with a hose line while another hose line was deployed to the roof to extinguish the fire. The building had working fire alarms that activated and a working sprinkler system that activated, containing the fire from spreading elsewhere in the building.

There were no injuries to the occupants or firefighters. The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was utilized, bringing firefighters from Algonquin, Barrington-Countryside, Carpentersville, Cary, Huntley, Marengo, McHenry, Nunda Rural, West Dundee and Wonder Lake to assist.

The fire was deemed under control around 25 minutes later at 11:48 a.m. Damage was estimated at $35,000.

The owners of AAMCO Crystal Lake, which shares the building with Crystal Lake Auto Body, posted on Facebook after the fire.

“We at AAMCO & Hankook Tire were fortunate today. The tenant in the rear of our building, Crystal Lake Auto Body, had a fire in their paint booth. The Crystal Lake Fire Department was awesome. They seemed to get there right after the sprinklers went off,” the owners said.

“AAMCO had no damage in its building, and AAMCO is open for business. Thank you all who have asked,” the owners added.

Apartment Building, Residential

Des Plaines, IL – Sprinkler system keeps apartment fire in check until firefighters arrive

Firefighters from four area departments responded to a six-floor apartment building in Des Plaines to extinguish an apartment fire today (Tuesday).

Deputy Des Plaines Fire Chief Pete Dyer said when firefighters responded to the top floor unit in a building on Brown Street near Laurel Avenue at approximately 11:12 a.m., they found the apartment ablaze with flames “kept in check” by an activated sprinkler system.

Dyer said firefighters hooked a hose into the building’s standpipe system and had the fire under control by 11:40 a.m. He said all residents had evacuated the building by the time firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters from Des Plaines, Niles, the North Maine Fire Protection District and Rosemont responded with fire trucks and ambulances.

College/University (on campus), Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant, School / University

Urbana, IL – Fire at campus restaurant held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The basement of the nearly 80-year-old Illini Union at the University of Illinois campus in Urbana-Champaign has reopened after a fire forced it to close for several hours.

Chief Urbana Fire Investigators Jeremy Leevey told the (Champaign) News-Gazette that crews responded to a small fire at Einstein Bros. Bagels at about 6:15 a.m. Thursday. Leevey says the union’s sprinkler system and firefighters were able to put out the fire. He says the cause is undetermined. Leevey says the restaurant has smoke damage but the dollar loss was minimal.

The university’s Illini Alert system issued a message about 6:30 a.m. Thursday saying there was a fire at the union and to avoid or leave the area immediately.

No injuries were reported. Officials say the union is fully operational.

Other / Not Specified

Lake Zurich, IL – (no media coverage) Sprinkler system contains laundry fire at commercial structure

** Fire Department Reported – No Media Coverage ** The Lake Zurich Fire Department responded to the 700 block of South Rand Road in Lake Zurich for an activated fire alarm. The first fire department units arrived on the scene in under five minutes and found moderate smoke inside the building which was closed at the time of the alarm. The engine company investigating the cause of the smoke found a laundry bin smoldering in the kitchen area. They extinguished the fire with assistance from an activated sprinkler head from the installed automatic fire sprinkler system. Fire crews then conducted salvage, overhaul operations, and began a preliminary cause and origin investigation. The fire was accidental and caused by spontaneous combustion of oily rags in the kitchen area. There was a preliminary damage estimate of $500 and well over $1,000,000 in property and contents saved.

There were no reports of any firefighter injuries. Lake Zurich received assistance from the Lake Zurich Police Department with traffic control. The Lake Zurich Fire Department would like to remind residents to install working smoke detectors, make an escape plan and “practice” it, and consider installing an automatic fire-sprinkler system. Fire-related safety information is located on our Facebook page or by calling the Fire Prevention Bureau at (847) 540-5073.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rock Island, IL – Sprinkler system stops apartment kitchen fire

A Rock Island apartment building is still standing tonight because of a fire sprinkler. Rock Island Fire Marshal Greg Marty said a stove fire started on the third floor of the Sala Apartments at 2:30 today. The <fire> triggered the sprinkler system, which put out the flames before firefighters arrived. Marty said this is why every house should have a smoke detector and a sprinkler system.

“This lady’s going to get to stay in her own apartment tonight,” Marty said. “She’ll get to sleep in her own bed. You know, the cleanup is going to be with a mop and a bucket instead of potentially millions of dollars worth of damage and potentially other lives lost.” Marty said apartments have been required to have sprinklers for years. The City of Rock Island just made it mandatory that all new homes be built with sprinklers last year. It is the only Quad City to do so.

EARLIER VERSION: Three fire engines are outside the Sala apartment building in downtown Rock Island. A battalion chief says there was a small stove fire in a unit on the third floor, but it was contained by the sprinkler system. No injuries reported so far.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Palatine, IL – Fire at plating company controlled with help from automatic sprinkler system

An automatic sprinkler helped control a fire that broke out Wednesday night at a manufacturing plant in Palatine, authorities said Thursday. Firefighters were dispatched to the Arlington Plating Co., 600 S. Vermont St., at 10:43 p.m. and upon arrival found smoke from the fire as well as water from an automatic sprinkler that had activated, according to a news release. The fire was declared under control at 11:01 p.m., officials said. Crews stayed on scene into the early morning hours to ventilate the building and perform salvage, overhaul and investigative activities.

One employee suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. It was the second fire in less than a week in Palatine that was controlled by an automatic sprinkler, authorities said. A sprinkler was activated in a downtown condominium fire March 14. The fire Wednesday night was contained to the area where it started, though a cost estimate of damages wasn’t available. Authorities said the cause remains under investigation.