Cause of Gurnee hotel fire under investigation
Gurnee fire investigators have returned to the scene of a five-alarm blaze at the Holiday Inn Hotel on Grand Avenue in Gurnee.
Deputy Fire Chief John Kavanagh said the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, and investigators expect to be able to narrow down a cause by the end of the day. He added a damage estimate is not yet known.
“They went out there at first light and started to look things over,” Kavanagh said. “We feel at this point that the fire was contained to the banquet and restaurant area and the hotel only suffered minimal damage.”
The hotel was nearing completion of an extensive renovation in the banquet area when fire sparked in that area about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, officials said.
The fire burned for nearly four hours, and a large plume of black smoke could be seen billowing from the hotel at 6161 Grand Ave., just west of the Tri-State Tollway.
Firefighters from about 25 departments responded to the blaze, and crews remained at the scene clearing debris and checking for burning embers well past midnight, Fire Department Batallion Chief John Skillman said.
The level 5 box alarm was called off around 10:30 p.m., once the flames were brought under control, but the building suffered extensive damage, fire officials said.
“The northeast corner of the building, which includes the banquet hall areas and attached kitchen and bar, (was) involved,” Skillman said. “But the main part where rooms are were uninvolved. They saved a good portion of it.”
The 911 call for the fire inside the three-story hotel came in at 6:44 p.m., and fire officials quickly shut down a nearly milelong stretch of Grand Avenue to battle the blaze. There were no guests staying at the hotel when the fire started, but it remains unclear if any workers were inside, Skillman said.
“It wasn't open for business. It was undergoing a complete remodel all the way down to the structural framing. They were getting close to opening, though,” he said.
The hotel was set to begin taking reservations for Jan. 1, 2012, according to the Holiday Inn website.
No firefighters were injured during the blaze.