The fire completely engulfed the building, which housed several businesses including the chemical factory, in less than 30 minutes, Fox News reported.
It took nearly three hours for the 150 firefighters who responded to extinguish the blaze. Crews had to deal with a difficult situation–getting enough water to the building was challenging because there were few fire hydrants. So they had to perform an “inline operation,” which involved spacing six trucks over a mile and connecting them by hoses so that water could be piped to the blaze, The Chicago Tribune reported.
It was shortly before midnight when the fire was brought under control, and crews stayed on scene for several hours, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.
A hazardous materials alert was called because several chemicals were stored in the building, but crews determined that the chemicals didn’t pose a risk, he said.
“We have found no danger to the public,” he said. “The smoke is not causing any harm.”
The flames from the massive blaze could be seen from the Stevenson Expressway and thick black smoke ballooned across the interstate while crews worked.
The fire was so intense that a portion of the building collapsed, firefighters said, according to UPI. No injuries were reported.
