Fire damages building under construction in downtown Mount Prospect

A fire in a trash chute Friday morning did an estimated $50,000 in damage at Maple Street Lofts, under construction in downtown Mount Prospect, the fire department said in a news release.

The fire at 215 E. Prospect Ave. was reported about 10 a.m. A large trash bin was burning and the fire had spread up an exterior trash chute, officials said. The fire was brought under control in approximately 10 minutes. It was contained to the exterior of the building. The cause is under investigation but appears to be accidental.

Workers at the six-story apartment building discovered the fire and quickly reported it. They also helped called 911. "This could have been much worse if it wasn't for the quick actions of calling 911," said Deputy Fire Chief John Dolan.

Nick Papanicholas Jr., president of Wingspan Development Group, the Mount Prospect firm developing the property, said the fire presented "no setbacks to the schedule" for construction.

The building under construction sustained "minor, surface-type damage."

"We already had our structural engineer out at the site and reviewed the building condition top to bottom multiple times, and everything's fine."

Papanicholas said, "We don't really know the source, but it was external to the building. It was put out pretty quickly."