Fire damages industrial building in Schaumburg

A fire at the Taurus Tool and Engineering company forced the closure of Estes Avenue in Schaumburg between Wright and Mitchell avenues Tuesday morning and the business itself for the near future.

Schaumburg Deputy Fire Chief William Spencer said eyewitness accounts helped confirm that the fire started in a machine at the back of the one-story industrial building after it froze up and the motor continued to run.

All employees of the businesses got out safely, and no firefighters were injured during the blaze.

Upon arrival, heavy smoke and fire were seen and the crews attacked the fire with heavy lines to the front and rear of the building, Spencer said.

The fire appeared to have started at about 6:50 a.m. Firefighters had it under control within 30 minutes and extinguished within 40 minutes, Spencer said.

Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said the business occupies both halves of a double building whose two street addresses - 525 and 515 Estes Ave. - are separated by a fire wall.

The fire wall contained the flames to the 525 address, where the blaze started, but there was some smoke damage to the 515 side as well, Nebl said.

The building is not currently habitable, and the machinery will have to be removed to see how much of it is salvageable, Spencer said. About $18 million worth of equipment was housed in the building, company officials told him.

The building is likely repairable, but Spencer said he couldn't tell how far down the work would have to start. There's still a chance the building could be considered a total loss, making its razing and reconstruction part of the repair process, he said.