Fire
engulfs warehouse in Illinois
Send a link to a friend
[May 25, 2007]
HARVEY (AP) -- A fire erupted at
an abandoned warehouse and raced through an industrial park Thursday
in this Chicago suburb, covering nearly a full square mile before it
was contained, officials said.
|
A pair of firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and were sent to a
hospital, according to city spokeswoman Sandra Alvarado. The blaze
was driven by high winds that sent heavy black smoke and hot embers
over the area. Flames shot into the air, and smoke that blew over
residential neighborhoods could be seen from miles away, Alvarado
said.
"The thing that made the fire so difficult was the wind,"
Alvarado said. "The magnitude of the fire, it was just baffling."
Some of the embers fell into fields and lots in and around the
industrial park, sparking small spot fires, and surrounding
businesses were evacuated. Some customers in the neighborhood also
lost power.
[to top of second column]
|
The fire began before noon in a warehouse at the former Allied
Tube & Conduit company, consuming buildings at that site before
jumping to a warehouse across the street, officials said. The second
warehouse was in use but was safely evacuated, Alvarado said.
Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives arrived Thursday evening to investigate the cause, said
ATF spokesman Thomas Ahern.
"It's still too preliminary in the investigation to know the
cause and origin," Ahern said. "It's such an extensive scene, it
could take awhile."
[Text copied
from file received from AP
Digital] |