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Three-alarm fire at Crystal Lake factory

A fire in a Crystal Lake manufacturing plant closed down part of Virginia Road and left the building with a collapsed roof, according to a news release from the Crystal Lake Fire Department.

The fire was started when an employee was using a cutting torch and a blaze started, the release said. The business, Diesel Redemption, salvages motors from old vehicles, according to its website.

The nature of the business meant the plant was filled with combustibles such as oil and propane, according to Crystal Lake Fire Chief Paul DeRaedt.

Fire crews arrived on the scene, at 6207 Commercial Road, shortly before 3 p.m. to find thick black smoke coming from the business, the release said. The smoke is what caused the shutdown of Virginia Road.

Crews immediately took up a defensive position and began fighting the fire from the outside with houses and three ladder trucks, according to the release.

The building doesn't have fire sprinklers, but a fire wall in the center of the structure kept the blaze contained, the release said.

The fire was under control by 4:19 p.m., with crews remaining to extinguish hot spots, according to the release.

Investigators are still on the scene looking for the exact cause and to make a damage estimate, the release said.

The building's roof and part of a wall collapsed due to the blaze and the building "won't be occupiable until repairs are made," according to DeRaedt.

There were no injuries to firefighters or occupants in the fire, the release said.

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