NBC's 'Chicago Fire' filming at Wheaton cabin in Northside Park
It's one of the more rustic settings in Wheaton: a wood cabin nestled in a grove of trees with views of herons gliding over a peaceful lagoon.
The NBC series "Chicago Fire" will heat up that tranquil picture with some explosive action when TV crews film scenes in Wheaton's Northside Park Friday night.
The production will be using the park's Boy Scout cabin, built during the Great Depression with labor provided by a New Deal agency.
The firefighter drama stars Taylor Kinney as Lt. Kelly Severide, who's not exactly a Boy Scout himself. No word yet on whether Kinney will be coming to town, but Season 10 ended with Severide and his bride, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), at a secluded honeymoon cabin that's actually in the middle of suburbia.
"The lock stinks," Severide says before he carries Kidd over the threshold. A Daily Herald reporter did not verify the quality of the said lock.
The honeymoon getaway is threatened when - cue ominous music - a pickup truck pulls up to the cabin. Who's the uninvited guest?
Earlier in the season finale, Severide vows to testify against a drug dealer. So apparently, some muscle has shown up at the newlywed cabin.
Back in the real world, NBC Universal trucks converged on the north end of the park Thursday, and equipment was scattered across the lawn in front of the cabin.
Wheaton Park District Executive Director Mike Benard confirmed the Dick Wolf-produced "Chicago Fire" will be filming there.
Crews will be shooting an action sequence with simulated gunfire, using weapons loaded with blank rounds, according to a city advisory notice. Residents may hear what sounds like gunfire, but no real ammunition will be used.
Filming is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Friday and will continue overnight.
The production company will have security on site, and a portion of the park will be blocked off during filming.
Fire's Season 11 premiere will air on NBC at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Wolf's One Chicago franchise is based at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios.