No one was injured in a large fire Wednesday at a commercial building in Humboldt Park.
The three-alarm fire broke out at a building that housed an auto body and a battery shop about 6 p.m. in the 2800 block of West Grand Avenue, the Chicago Fire Department said.
Both shops were fully engulfed in flames and the roof of a nearby landscaping company collapsed, Jim McDonough, the Chicago Fire Department’s 1st District chief, said at a news conference.
“All three businesses will be out of service until they find new locations,” McDonough said.
Two-hundred firefighters and 40 pieces of equipment were used to put out the fire, which was fully put down about 8 p.m.
No injuries were reported. The businesses were open at the time of the fire, but all employees were accounted for, McDonough said. Crews will be on site until midnight to ensure all the flames are fully extinguished.
Hazardous materials crews also responded to the scene and were testing the water used to douse flames to ensure that dangerous materials in batteries stored on site hadn’t leached out.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Wednesday’s fire broke about a mile from the location of a four-alarm blaze that destroyed Commercial Pallet, 2029 W. Hubbard St., on Tuesday in West Town.
3-11 FIRE AT 2810 W Grand & California struck out by 2-1-21. No injuries reported at this time (ws).
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) June 20, 2024
DT / CN pic.twitter.com/uQLMT9RARq
A number of dry, wooden pallets at the building burned, producing billowing smoke that could be seen for miles. More than 200 firefighters and multiple engines worked to put out that fire, officials said.
Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries. Fire Department officials rotated crews in and out of the firefight Tuesday as high temperatures posed dehydration and heat exhaustion risks to firefighters.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to correct that the fire was in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
