Trailer full of padding ignites behind Palatine strip mall

A semitrailer full of carpet padding caught fire behind a Palatine strip mall late Monday afternoon, filling the sky with black smoke that could be seen for miles.

Police and fire dispatchers received multiple 911 calls reporting that businesses in the area were on fire due to the heavy smoke, but firefighters responding to the back of Carpet Outlet found the blaze was contained to the trailer.

Palatine police were the first on the scene at 1288 Dundee Road after a caller reported the fire at 4:14 p.m., and they found old carpet padding on fire underneath the trailer, said Palatine Fire Battalion Chief Fred Johnson.

The fire spread from the old padding to the trailer, which was full of new foam padding for underneath carpets.

When firefighters arrived at the back of the building five minutes after the 911 call, the entire trailer was on fire, Johnson said.

He said the trailer was about 5 feet from the loading dock, and although the entire strip mall was evacuated, the flames never reached the building.

“It looked pretty impressive from pretty far away,” Johnson said.

He said the cause of the fire remained under investigation Monday night. but early estimates gauged the damage to the trailer at $7,000 and to its contents at $9,000.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about 15 minutes, and there were no reported injuries.

Johnson said the trailer had been in the same location for about 20 years and was used for storage.