Industrial printer sparks Lake Zurich fire

The owner of a Lake Zurich company was able to escape his business as it filled with smoke due to a machine fire Thursday afternoon, officials said.

The fire started in a laser printing machine inside the business at 75 Oakwood Road at about 3:35 p.m., and was contained to the machine thanks to a sprinkler system, said Lake Zurich Fire Chief David Wheelock.

The owner of the business was the only person inside when the fire broke out, and he was not injured, Wheelock said.

Firefighters found the 5,000-square-foot space filled from the floor to the ceiling with smoke, but were able to extinguish the blaze quickly, officials said.

“It was just generating a lot of smoke,” Wheelock said, explaining that the fire damage was minimal.

The business is located in a partitioned section of a larger commercial structure, but the sprinkler system contained the damage to the single business.

Fire officials said the machine malfunctioned, and something may have jammed inside the printer causing the fire.

The rest of the businesses in the building evacuated during the fire, but were able to resume operations shortly after firefighters arrived.

A damage estimate was unavailable Thursday evening, but Wheelock said the unit suffered smoke and heat damage along with fire damage.