Tag Archives: Illinois

Apartment Building, Residential

Peoria, IL – Sprinkler system prevents fire from spreading at apartment complex; No injuries reported

The Peoria Fire Department said “multiple” people have been displaced after a trash fire in a hallway at New Hope Apartments in Downtown Peoria.

The fire department was called about 6:35 p.m. where a fire was on the fifth floor of the building at 301 NE Jefferson.

All residents were safely evacuated, and there were no injuries, said Battalion Chief Josh Maroney.

The chief also said the building’s sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading. The water damage, however, caused “multiple” residents to be displaced.

According to the chief, restoration work is underway, and residents will be able to return to their homes when repairs are done.

This is the second time in recent weeks that firefighters were called to put out a fire at New Hope. Investigators determined the fire that happened about 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 20 was intentionally set and caused an estimated $200,000.

Total damage of Tuesday evening’s fire is estimated at $60,000.

Residential, Single Family Home

Highland Park, IL – House fire controlled by sprinkler system

Plumbers on site tried to extinguish a fire that broke out in the basement of a house in Highland Park before a sprinkler system controlled the fire and firefighters could respond.

The Highland Park Fire Department and Highland Park Police Department responded around 11:30 a.m. Monday to the 2000 block of Skyelar Court in Highland Park for a fire alarm activation.

A 911 caller then reported there was a fire in the home, according to Highland Park Fire Chief Joe Schrage.

The incident was upgraded to a Confirmed Fire response to bring in multiple area fire departments.

Firefighters entered the home and found fire in the basement of a two-story, single-family residence.

Schrage said residents and workers were in the home when the fire started and the workers tried to extinguish the fire.

A van belonging to Village Plumbing & Sewer Service Inc., based in Glenview, was parked outside the home.

The home is equipped with a sprinkler system and one of the sprinkler heads activated, further controlling the fire.

Firefighters pulled a hose line and fully extinguished the fire, Schrage said. Incoming assisting fire departments, besides the Glencoe Fire Department, were canceled.

The home remained habitable and the damage was contained to the basement, Schrage said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Highland Park Fire Department but is not considered suspicious in nature.

Apartment Building, Residential

Peoria, IL – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A resident was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly starting a fire in their apartment, which also damaged three other units in downtown Peoria.

Fire Battalion Chief Mike Ralston says crews were called just before 3:30 p.m. to an apartment building in the 200 block of NE Madison Avenue, between Hamilton and Fayette.

Ralston says the building’s sprinkler system helped firefighters bring the fire under control quickly, but four units suffered fire and water damage.

Damage is estimated at $80,000. No injuries were reported. Four people were displaced by the fire.

The suspect’s name has not been released by Peoria Police at this time.

Apartment Building, Residential

Peoria, IL – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Fire crews were called to an apartment fire on NE Jefferson in downtown Peoria early Monday morning.

Fire Battalion Chief Mike Ralston says Peoria Fire received the call from the five-story New Hope Apartments just after 12:30 a.m., finding the fire mostly contained by the building’s sprinkler system, which had activated effectively.

Ralston says the fire started in a single apartment unit and it was determined to have been intentionally set. The fire was contained to the apartment, preventing any further spread through the building.

Damage is estimated at $200,000, with most of the damage due to water from the sprinkler system activation.

All of the residents were evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Rock Island, IL – Sprinkler system contains machine blaze; No injuries reported

Fire crews remained on the scene Friday night after an equipment fire began shortly after 6 p.m. at Tri-City Heat Treat, 2020 5th St., Rock Island.

“Everything worked how it was supposed to work,” a firefighter told Our Quad Cities News crew.

Workers inside the building reported that a machine caught fire at 6:11 p.m. Then the sprinkler system contained the blaze, firefighters said.

Crews remained on the scene to ensure the fire didn’t spread. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Champaign, IL – Sprinkler system controls fire at multi-family apartment building; No injuries reported

The Champaign Fire Department responded to a fire in a multi-family apartment building in the 3700 block of Colleen Dr., Friday, August 1, 2025, at 8:58 p.m. Fire crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

Firefighters responded to a report from an occupant of a fire in this two-story apartment building. Once on the scene, crews reported smoke coming from a second-story apartment. Firefighters extended a single hose line to extinguish this sprinkler-controlled fire.

The cause of this fire has not been determined as fire investigators remain on scene conducting their investigation. There were no firefighter or occupant injuries reported. The occupants of two units will be displaced because of this fire.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential, School / University

Macomb, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at university hall

A fire at Western Illinois University Grote Hall led to $20,000 in damages. The sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading.

At 8:55 p.m., Wednesday, January 15, the Macomb Fire Department was dispatched to a water flow alarm at Grote Hall, 720 W Adams Street on the campus of Western Illinois University (WIU) in Macomb.

While enroute, the WIU Office of Public Safety (OPS) advised that they had smoke and flames in room 410. The first arriving units arrived on scene at 9:01 p.m. and began high-rise standpipe operations. Fire command made contact with OPS who had discharged two fire extinguishers on the fire.

The interior firefighting crew stretched a hose line to the fire room and finished extinguishing the fire. The fire was contained to a waste basket in the room.

The fire activated a sprinkler within the closet of the room and kept the fire from spreading. Multiple rooms sustained smoke and water damage and at least two residents were displaced.

Four on-duty firefighters responded to the call and nine additional firefighters responded to a crew callback. Emmet- Chalmers and Good Hope Fire Departments responded to the scene and assisted with primary searches of the building.

The fire was deemed under control at 9:12 PM. All units cleared at 11:21 p.m. One firefighter was transported to a local hospital for observation and was treated and released.

A smoke alarm was present in the room, however, did not alarm due to the device being obstructed by the resident. Once the sprinkler system activated the water flow alarm notified OPS dispatch of the fire.

The structure sustained fire, smoke, and water damage throughout and has an estimated loss of $20,000. The fire was investigated by the Macomb Fire Department and WIU OPS. The fire was deemed unintentional due to improper disposal of ignited materials.

The Macomb Fire Department wants to again remind citizens that smoke detectors are essential safety devices that play a crucial role in protecting lives and property by providing early warning of smoke or fire. Tampering with smoke detectors can lead to criminal charges.

The following agencies assisted: McDonough County Communications Center, Macomb IL Police, WIU OPS, WIU Support Staff, Lifeguard Ambulance Service of Illinois, Emmet- Chalmers FPD, Good Hope FPD, and the City of Macomb Public Works.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yorkville, IL – Sprinkler system extinguishes dryer fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

The Bristol Kendall Fire Protection District responded late Monday night to a dryer fire at an apartment complex in Yorkville.

No one was hurt, and the fire was extinguished by a sprinkler system before crews arrived. The incident occurred around 11:40 p.m.

All residents were able to evacuate safely.

Firefighters removed the dryer, checked for any additional fires, ventilated the building, and assisted an adjacent unit with water intrusion.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it was contained to the single dryer. Fire crews were on the scene for about two hours.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Glenview, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at high school woodshop

Classes at a suburban Glenview high school were canceled Monday and students and staff were sent home after a fire alarm triggered a sprinkler system to be set off in the building, according to an announcement.

About 9:23 a.m., fire alarms were triggered near the woodshop of Glenbrook South High School, leading the building’s fire suppression and sprinkler system to be activated, the school posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

While the school initially said that students and staff were being allowed back into the building after being evacuated, it later said students would be dismissed after a “large amount of water” in the building had impacted school events.

“School is canceled for the rest of the day and students will be dismissed using a tiered system,” the school said.

In a 11:16 a.m. Facebook post, the school confirmed that all students had been dismissed.

According to the school, Monday morning’s fire alarm took place during “School Emergency Preparedness Week.”

No further details surrounding the circumstances of the incident were released. Glenbrook South High School did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment.

Apartment Building, Residential

Romeoville, IL – Sprinkler system activated for early morning apartment fire; No injuries reported

The Lockport Township Fire Protection District responded to an apartment fire in Romeoville early Wednesday.

Shortly after midnight, the LTFPD was called to the scene in the 1300 block of Mews Lane where crews found a fire had broken out on the balcony of a second-floor apartment unit.

According to the fire district, the building’s sprinkler system was triggered by the smoke and kept the fire from spreading, allowing crews to quickly extinguish it.

The building’s exterior reportedly suffered some damage, and the interior of the impacted unit also sustained minor damage.

Although the occupants were home at the time of the fire, no injuries were reported.

Lockport Fire Investigators still are investigating the specific cause of the fire, but, according to the initial report, the cause “appears to be accidental.”

Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers