Firefighters battle extra-alarm blaze at West Town pallet factory

SHARE Firefighters battle extra-alarm blaze at West Town pallet factory
damen2.jpg

Fire crews battled a three-alarm fire late Monday in a West Town neighborhood warehouse. | Network Video Productions

Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire outside a pallet factory Monday night in the West Town neighborhood.

Crews were called about 11 p.m. to the large fire in the yard of a company near North Damen and West Grand avenues, Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner William Vogt told reporters at the scene. The company builds, sells and repairs wooden pallets.

Pallets were burning in the yard, and the blaze was upgraded to an extra-alarm fire out of concern for two warehouses and a two-story house adjacent to the yard, Vogt said.

The fire spread to the attic of the house and six residents were displaced, Vogt said. The American Red Cross assisted them with finding shelter.

The fire did not spread to either warehouse and no injuries were reported, according to Vogt. A hazardous materials situation was called after multiple propane tanks in the yard exploded, but the situation has since been contained.

The blaze was struck out by 12:10 a.m. Tuesday, fire officials said.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting the Chicago Police Bomb & Arson Unit and the Chicago Fire Department with the investigation into the cause of the fire, according to bureau spokesman Tom Ahern.

Fire crews battled a three-alarm fire late Monday in a West Town neighborhood warehouse. | Network Video Productions

Fire crews battled a three-alarm fire late Monday in a West Town neighborhood warehouse. | Network Video Productions

The Latest
Busch found an unconventional way to score in the Cubs’ loss to the Rangers.
The acquisition of Tamarack Farms makes Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge a more impactful destination and creates within Hackmatack a major macrosite for conservation.
The man was found unresponsive in an alley in the 10700 block of South Lowe Avenue, police said.
The man suffered head trauma and was pronounced dead at University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.
Another federal judge in Chicago who also has dismissed gun cases based on the same Supreme Court ruling says the high court’s decision in what’s known as the Bruen case will “inevitably lead to more gun violence, more dead citizens and more devastated communities.”