Arlington Heights warehouse a total loss from massive fire
Nearly 100 firefighters from across the Northwest suburbs spent more than eight hours on Thursday battling a massive fire at a vacant Arlington Heights warehouse, which is now a total loss.
The fire at the former Tower Plastics Recycling Center on the 1400 block of East Davis Street was noticed by a passing driver shortly after 6 a.m. Soon after the first responders arrived, the roof on the large one-story building collapsed and flames shot 40 feet into the air.
"The roof was constructed completely of wood and that became the fuel source. It looks very impressive when that happens," said Arlington Heights Deputy Fire Chief Pete Ahlman.
Ahlman has been with the department for 25 years and said Thursday's blaze was the largest fire he has seen in town.
Officials raised it to a second alarm, which brought in firefighters from Des Plaines, Schaumburg, Elk Grove and other departments.
By about 9:30 a.m. the fire was largely under control, but officials were on the scene until about 2:30 p.m. extinguishing hot spots, Ahlman said.
"Something this big, we are pretty slow and methodical because we don't want to get anyone injured or take any unnecessary chances," he said.
No one was in the building at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
"There was no loss of life, which we are very thankful for," said Arlington Heights Village President Tom Hayes. "I think this is another example of the great work by our fire department and the assistance we get from other communities."
Edward Nieves, who works across the street at Ibbotson Heating and Air Conditioning, said he arrived at work at 6:30 a.m. to find flames and black smoke shooting out of the building and a long line of firetrucks along Arthur Avenue.
"It was a sight to see. You don't see things like this every day in Arlington Heights," Nieves said. "It didn't look like (the fire) was going down anytime soon."
The warehouse - which has been vacant for several years - will need to be torn down, Ahlman said.
"It's a total, complete loss," he said.
Firefighters already did some demolition to the building in areas that had collapsed or were in danger of collapse Thursday afternoon.
According to Cook County assessor's records, the warehouse is a 51-year-old structure valued at $1.7 million. Records show the building has been a part of a trust since 1996 overseen by the Bank of Elmhurst.
A listing of available industrial space in Arlington Heights created by the village shows that the property has been on the market since at least 2013. A separate real estate listing indicates the property's owners were seeking $1.05 million for it.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation and Ahlman said investigators have not ruled anything out. He said he expects the investigation to be completed over the next several days.
Police closed off Arthur and Davis streets for several hours, but all roads were reopened by Thursday afternoon. Metra Northwest line commuter trains were not delayed.
Officials said there was no concern of dangerous materials inside the building, and the fire did not spread to any adjacent buildings.
"I'm just grateful it wasn't worse than it was," Hayes said.
• Daily Herald staff writers Jamie Sotonoff, Kerry Lester and Lee Filas contributed to this story