Ice chunk falls from sky, crashes through Arlington Hts. business

An icy object fell from the sky and crashed through the roof of an Arlington Heights business Friday morning.

Around 3 a.m., several clear, frozen objects hit the manufacturing plant of Weber Marking Systems on Algonquin Road.

The icy items came through the roof of the plant where production was not under way, according to Chief Executive Officer Glenn Gilly. Although employees were there, none were near the area or were injured, he said.

Arlington Heights police and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.

Although investigators aren't sure what the object is, it's definitely not blue ice - a term used for wastewater that comes from an aircraft, according to the FAA.

"We are still unsure if this came from an aircraft," said spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. "We are looking at aircraft over the area at that time trying to determine if it's a leak."

If the icy substance was from a leak, she said, it could have come from a plane's drinking water supply.

"This is an extremely rare event," she said. "When you think about the number of takeoffs and landings in this area, this is statistically really rare."

The ice chunks were about four inches in diameter and left a hole in the roof about two feet by four feet.

A damage estimate on the roof isn't available yet, said Gilly.

Weber Marking Systems designs and manufactures labeling products.