Tag Archives: Illinois

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.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rockford, IL – Sprinkler system contains fourth floor apartment fire; No injuries reported

Rockford firefighters dispatched just after 6:00 p.m. Tuesday to the 2100 block of Kishwaukee Street for a kitchen fire.

Units first on scene say black smoke rolled out of a fourth floor apartment fire that started in the kitchen, but was mostly self contained the building sprinkler system.

No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported. Residents on the fourth floor were moved to lower levels, but no other evacuations were necessary.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Addison, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at recycling facility; No injuries reported

No injuries were reported after fire broke out Saturday evening at a paper recycling facility in Addison.

The Addison Fire Protection District said crews responding to an activated fire alarm at the facility, which reports place in the 1700 block of West Fullerton Avenue, arrived to find heavy smoke pouring from the building.

While the facility’s sprinkler system helped to contain the blaze, firefighters pulled several large hose lines into the building to extinguish the flames, fire officials said.

Once skylights and overhead doors were opened, fire crews used front end loaders to remove tons of burning paper from the building. A 30-foot by 30-foot area of burning shredded paper was found in the building, firefighters said.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

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

A Naperville restaurant was damaged in a kitchen fire Monday night, according to the Naperville Fire Department.

At 6:56 p.m., a single fire engine was dispatched to Buttermilk, located at 1715 Freedom Drive, to investigate an active fire alarm, authorities said.

Upon arrival, firefighters discovered black smoke coming from the roof vent.

Authorities said that firefighters promptly upgraded to general alarm after seeing the smoke.

Firefighters had to force their way into the restaurant, which had already closed for the night, according to authorities.

Authorities said that a fire inside the restaurant’s kitchen was being held in check by a sprinkler system.

A hose was used to extinguish the remaining flames, and the fire was declared under control at 7:24 p.m., according to authorities.

The restaurant was vacant at the time, and there were no injuries.

The restaurant was deemed uninhabitable by the Naperville Transportation, Engineering and Development Team.

Authorities said that the fire caused $25,000 in damages.

“It was mostly water damage from the sprinkler system and the suppression efforts,” said Division Chief Daniel Smith.

The Lisle Woodridge Fire Department assisted.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Normal, IL – Sprinkler system activated for vehicle fire; No injuries reported

A Rivian vehicle was on fire inside the building late Friday night.

The Normal Fire Department responded just after 9 p.m. while the building fire alarm was sounding and workers were being evacuated.

Firefighters found the vehicle on fire on a vehicle lift, while the sprinkler system was flowing water and suppressing the fire. The fire was contained in the single-vehicle and there was no smoke damage to the building.

“The sprinkler system did exactly what it was supposed to do – Put water on the fire quickly and prevent it from spreading until the fire department arrived to finish the job,” said Public Information Officer, Matt Swaney. “Most importantly, the damage was limited to just the one vehicle, and everyone was able to get out of the building safely.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Naperville, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Naperville Fire Department extinguished a structure fire in 2100 Block of Allegre Circle on Naperville’s northwest side. No injuries reported. (PN file photos are used to help flag reports about Naperville Fire and Police Department responses to emergency calls and Crime Stoppers, always reminding readers that keeping the community safe is everyone’s responsibility.) Be alert. Stay safe.

At 7:17PM on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, Naperville’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) received a call for the structure fire in the 2100 block of Allegre Circle. 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 7:21PM, the first unit arrived on scene and found a three-story apartment building with a fire in unit 209. Incident command was established, and a 360-degree survey was conducted of the building. Fire companies quickly ascended to the second floor with hose lines and found a sprinkler head activated in the unit. The sprinkler held the fire in check until fire companies could fully extinguish it.

The fire was contained to unit 209 and was fully extinguished at 7:28PM.

The North Aurora and West Chicago fire departments provided coverage to Naperville fire stations during this incident. The cause is fire is still under investigation. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

Only two units (109 & 209) were deemed to be uninhabitable by the Naperville Transportation, Engineering, and Development Team. A total of four residents were displaced and the fire is estimated to have caused $20,000 in
damages.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Round Lake, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at industrial building; No injuries reported

A second-alarm fire early Tuesday morning at an industrial building in Round Lake took firefighters about two hours to extinguish and caused over $150,000 in damage.

The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District responded at 12:29 a.m. Tuesday to Northern Insulation, Inc., 702 Magna Drive in Round Lake, for an automatic fire alarm activation.

Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Anthony Carraro said that emergency crews arrived and found smoke coming from the building.

The automatic sprinkler system was also activated, indicating a working structure fire, Carraro said.

Northern Insulation, Inc. specializes in insulating various types of construction for residential and commercial buildings, according to their website.

The call was upgraded and firefighters from the Round Lake, Fox Lake, Grayslake and Wauconda fire departments responded.

The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was then activated to the second alarm level, bringing an additional 13 fire departments to the scene, Carraro said.

Firefighters deployed multiple hose lines to extinguish the fire. Seven sprinkler heads helped to keep the fire under control.

Carraro said the fire involved industrial chemicals stored inside a box truck in the building.

Firefighters also utilized a propeller-driven airboat to help ventilate the building of smoke.

The fire was declared under control around 2 a.m. and fire crews stayed on scene until 5:30 a.m.

The business was closed and unoccupied at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported, Carraro said.

Carraro credited the business’s sprinkler and fire alarm systems which kept the fire under control until firefighters could extinguish it.

Damage is estimated at over $150,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A total of eight fire engines, three ladder trucks, four ambulances, six command officers and four fire investigators responded to the scene, Carraro added.

The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District was assisted by the Fox Lake, Grayslake, Wauconda, Countryside, Gurnee, Spring Grove, Mundelein, Newport Township, Lake Villa, Salem, Libertyville, Richmond and Antioch fire departments.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Effingham, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at nail salon in mall

Fire broke out at Malibu Nails inside the Village Square Mall just before 5:30 Tuesday evening.

Assistant Fire Chief Matt Kulesza told us the fire started from a mini-fridge inside the store. The store had just closed for the evening, and the owner had gone home. People walking in the mall spotted the fire and called 911.

The sprinkler system in the store did activate, but the fire was limited by a water line located in a wall just behind the refrigerator. The line melted from the heat and burst, giving the sprinkler an assist. When firefighters arrived, they broke a window to gain access and used a pump can to put the fire out.

Kulesza said it could have been much worse, had the fire burned through the wall into the store to the south, which is packed full of boxes and other items that would have fueled it.

Angus, owner of Malibu Nails, told us he’s been in the mall since 1995 and does intend to repair his space and reopen. For the time being, Malibu Nails will be using a portion of the store across the hall from his, while mall management prepares a temporary space for them in the coming days.

The mall was closed for the rest of the evening Tuesday. RMC Cinemas remained open. Mall manager Steve Linton and other mall employees were cleaning up glass from the window the fire department had to break to gain access to the store, and putting fans in place to air out the mall. He told us the mall will be open as normal Wednesday morning, and that he’s thankful the damage was limited.