Arson suspect in Bartlett fire

Authorities suspect arson in a fire at a Tuesday Morning store in Bartlett.

No one was injured Tuesday in the two-alarm blaze, which 85 firefighters from four departments battled, Bartlett Fire Protection District Chief Kevin Heine said.

When crews arrived just after 10 a.m. at Tuesday Morning, located at 850 S. Route 59 in the Bartlett Commons strip mall, heavy smoke was coming out of the front doors, authorities said.

Employees and customers had already evacuated, Heine said. He didn't know how many people were in the store, but said it had just opened.

Though the sprinkler system had activated, Heine said firefighters at first had a difficult time extinguishing the fire. Crews opened up a hole in the roof and managed to contain the blaze to the unit.

Heine said a "suspicious person" was lingering near the wrapping paper section in the central part of the store. He left just before the fire started.

"There was no electric in the area and no other source of ignition," Heine said.

The DuPage County Arson Task Force is investigating the blaze and checking surveillance videos, as are Bartlett police.

Heine said the firefighters were working in 90-degree heat and benefited tremendously from the Hanover Park Citizen's Emergency Response Team, which provided cooling stations in their on-scene unit.

"I was pleased," Heine said. "It went well, nobody got hurt and the building's still standing."

No damage estimate was given.

There was smoke and water damage to the two units on either side of Tuesday Morning, Heine said. L.A. Tan sustained the most damage, while a 60-person cleaning crew helped Bannerman's Sports Grill reopen after seven hours. Excluding the 74 TVs, which might have to be replaced, owner Murray Friedman estimates at least $20,000 in damage.

Friedman said he ran over to Tuesday Morning to see what the commotion was about. He then returned with the fire extinguisher from his restaurant but said that, by that time, "the place was gone."