Tag Archives: Illinois

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Danville, IL – Sprinkler system keeps machinery fire at recycling facility from spreading

A machinery error started a fire in a recycling business Thursday night, firefighters say.

They say they found smoke pouring from Mervis Recycling, located at 14 S. Henning Road in Danville, after 8:30 p.m. Finding the exact fire proved difficult because of the smoke.

Crews say the call came in as a sprinkler system alarm. That system kept the fire from spreading.

Firefighters remained on the scene until after midnight.

The fire caused about $15,000 in damage. Firefighters say they can’t give an exact cause of the fire because the machinery responsible is too advanced.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

La Grange Park, IL – Fire in laser cutting area of manufacturing facility extinguished by single sprinkler

***Fire Department Release *** At 10:31 a.m. on Thursday morning, the La Grange Park Fire  Department was dispatched to an activated fire alarm at a manufacturing facility located at 1245 Barnsdale Rd. No call was received from the facility. Upon the fire department’s arrival at 10:37 a.m., the building’s fire alarm was sounding, the building was partially evacuated, and smoke was coming from overhead dock doors. Upon further investigation, it was noted that a fire had occurred in a laser cutting area. Employees in the area initially attempted to fight the fire with fire extinguishers, and then a single fire sprinkler operated and completely extinguished the fire. Firefighters checked for fire extension, cut electricity to the affected area, and shut down the fire sprinkler system. One employee who was in the area where the fire started and who helped to initially fight the fire, was treated by paramedics and transported to Adventist La Grange Hospital. The fire appears to have started when plastic being cut by a laser overheated, and plastic dust and hoses in the ventilation system ignited. The building and contents are valued at several million dollars, but damage at this time appears to be limited to $5,000.00. The employees should be commended for their initial actions, and the limited amount of damage to the overall business can be directly attributed to a properly operating fire sprinkler system,” according to Fire Chief Dean J. Maggos. Further damage to equipment in the immediate area is still being assessed. La Grange Firefighters assisted by La Grange Park Firefighters at the incident.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Itasca, IL – (Fire Dept. Reported) Industrial facility fire caused by oily rags is contained by sprinkler system

*** Fire Department Release *** At approximately 3:10 am on July 31st, the Roselle Fire Department received a report of an activated fire alarm on Norwood Ave. in Itasca. Upon arrival nothing was noted, and a visual inspection was done around the building and from the roof.  Once entry was gained, smoke was noted in the warehouse. Investigation revealed two plastic carts that were full of dirty rags and wood stain that had ignited. Two sprinkler heads activated and controlled this fire.   Had the sprinkler system not operated as designed, it is highly probable that this would have been a major fire as there were two barrels of flammable liquids nearby in this woodworking business.  Crews were on the scene for less than two hours doing ventilation, and the business was open that morning.

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Other-Government/Military

Elgin, IL – Fire in building storing large quantities of chemicals at water treatment facility extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire Friday night in a building with large quantities of chemicals at the city of Elgin’s water treatment facility was likely caused by an electrical motor failure, Elgin fire officials said.  The fire happened around 9 p.m. in a building at 375 W. River Road and was upgraded to include hazardous materials technicians from Elgin and South Elgin fire departments, according to an Elgin fire department news release. Firefighters entered the building and discovered the fire was extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system, the release stated. There was minimal chemical involvement, it stated.  Two employees were able to evacuate, the release stated. No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported, according to the release. There was no impact to the city’s water treatment operations or to the public, fire officials said.

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse

Mount Prospect, IL – Sprinkler system contains fire in industrial building

Fire broke out Monday afternoon in a vacant industrial building in Mount Prospect, filling the space with smoke but causing no injuries or significant damage, authorities said.

Mount Prospect firefighters responded to the blaze in the 400 block of Lakeview Court at 1:52 p.m. and had the fire under control within about 10 minutes, Chief Brian Lambel said.

The fire began when roof repair work being done as part of a renovation led to sparks falling onto insulation inside the building, Lambel said. A fire sprinkler helped contain the blaze before firefighters arrived.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vernon Hills, IL – Sprinkler system extinguishes fourth floor apartment fire

Nobody was injured in a Vernon Hills apartment fire Saturday afternoon, officials said.

Crews from the Countryside Fire Protection District were called to the apartment on the 1200 block of N. Museum Boulevard just before 3 p.m., according to a news release. When they arrived, residents were evacuating, and water was coming from a unit on the fourth floor, officials said. The fire already had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

Investigators determined that the fire was caused by hot cigarettes put in cardboard box inside a closet.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Lake Zurich, IL – Town home fire caused by gas grill is kept from spreading by sprinkler system

A Lake Zurich family is receiving assistance from the American Red Cross after a fire damaged part of their two-story townhome Sunday.  The Lake Zurich Fire Department responded to the blaze at around 6:47 p.m. on Sunday. The building’s sprinkler system activated and aided fire units, keeping the flames from spreading further, according to a news release.  The cause of the fire is under investigation, but preliminary findings point to an unattended propane grill that caught fire and ignited the exterior siding of the residence in the 100 block of Rosehall Drive, the release said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Evanston, IL – Sprinkler system holds factory fire in check; All workers evacuated safely

Fire struck an optical components factory at 1916 Greenleaf St. in Evanston last Friday afternoon.  The fire was first reported about 2:15 p.m. and Evanston fire crews had managed to bring it under control in less than half an hour.  All the workers in the building managed to get out safely on their own.  The fire apparently broke out in an area close to the roof, above the location of the building’s sprinkler heads.  The 16.000 square foot building houses Sterling Precision Optics which makes optical components and precision machined glass.  Fire crews from other communities including Skokie and Morton Grove were called in as backup for the Evanston crews.

Update 9:10 p.m.: Fire Division Chief Paul Polep says first companies arriving at the scene encountered heavy smoke and moderate fire conditions on the second floor of the building.  Upon making entry into the building fire companies observed an activated sprinkler system keeping the fire in check until crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire.  The business suffered significant smoke and water damage. There were no firefighter injuries. The cause of the fire still remains under investigation.