Elk Grove Twp. strip mall total loss after blaze

It took only minutes for an early morning fire in Elk Grove Township to wipe out months of hard work by Ingrid Corral.

The Hoffman Estates restaurateur and other small-business owners watched grimly Saturday as a backhoe cleared smoking debris from the wreckage of a strip mall at 2501 E. Oakton.

"I'm really sad," she said.

Corral's daughter, Abigail, learned about the fire from a text message.

"I thought it was a joke … a prank," Abigail Corral said. "But, no, it's not a joke -- it's real."

It appeared there were no smoke detectors in the 13-unit plaza, Elk Grove Township Fire Department Chief Michael Nelson said.

Firefighters were called to the scene around 7 a.m. after a burglar alarm was triggered.

The situation was under control within an hour but crews were still extinguishing small spot fires at noon.

No one was injured in the blaze. The units were connected by a common ceiling that helped flames spread quickly, ultimately collapsing the roof.

"It's a complete loss," Nelson said.

The fire started in a unit in the center of the mall, which is constructed of brick and masonry.

Damage estimates were not available and the cause of the fire was under investigation by the Illinois State fire marshal's office.

No one was in the plaza when the fire broke out. Businesses include several restaurants, a small grocery store, a liquor store, a shoe repair shop, and an insurance broker.

Corral had opened her restaurant, Zutano Y Mengano, six months ago. She had no insurance.

"We had important papers in there and a lot of stuff that was valuable," Abigail Corral said.

Retailer Mukesh Patel stared across Oakton at the charred remains of Gayatri Foods.

Although he was insured, "I'm not worrying about the insurance," the Mount Prospect man said. "I'm worried about my store. I hope I can build it back up."

Entrepreneur John Riggans had planned to open his electronics shop specializing in car stereos in April.

"The shop was going well," Riggans said. "Customers were coming by asking when we were going to open."

Like Corral, Riggans of Chicago was not insured.

"I feel really bad," he said. "I'm down to zero now."

The mall was about 30 years old, tenants said. Several complained of electrical problems in the building but officials said there was no history of fire code violations.

Nelson said the damage offered a fire prevention lesson.

"You should always have operating smoke detectors," he said.

Sixteen local fire departments responded to the incident.