Gigantic mulch pile catches fire in Hoffman Estates

Twenty-four firefighters were needed to put out a "giant mulch pile" fire in Hoffman Estates that began Sunday afternoon and burned into the evening.

The first crews arrived at 2:21 p.m. to Plote Construction, on the 1100 block of Brandt Drive north of I-90, to find a two acre, 100-foot-tall mulch pile on fire, according to the Hoffman Estates Fire Department.

More than 500,000 gallons of water were used to put out the fire, which had to be pumped from a hydrant over a half-mile away.

Firefighters battled the blaze from above with a ladder tower and used a construction pay loader to control it, according to fire officials.

The fire destroyed three pieces of mulching equipment, and total damages are estimated to be in excess of $600,000, according to the department.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported.