1 person seriously burned in suburban Chicago blaze near O'Hare Airport
CHICAGO (CBS)-- One person was seriously burned in a fire at an industrial complex in Elk Grove Village on Tuesday morning.
The fire burned at a semi-tractor repair facility, Pan Am Trucking, west of O'Hare International Airport. Fire crews were dispatched to the area of United Lane and Pan Am Boulevard around 7 a.m.
Elk Grove Village Fire officials said four truck trailers, two semi-tractors, and eight personal cars were caught in the fire and damaged. The building itself also had light exterior fire and heat damage. The fire also caused a power outage in the area by burning through overhead transmission lines. ComEd said about 140 customers were affected, but the power was restored later in the day.
Chopper 2 spotted heavy smoke in the area.
"It was a scary sight," said Denisse Perez, who works at a store area. "We heard there was a lot of smoke and stuff like that."
She added the morning was "very hectic" and the response made it difficult for her store to receive customers.
The battalion chief confirmed a worker was severely burned in the fire. The worker was taken to Loyola Medical Center.
Officials said the fire was under control by around 7:30 a.m. and extinguished at 8:10 a.m.
A fire burning in Elk Grove Village, west of ORD is putting a tremendous amount of smoke into the sky. It does NOT involve ORD or any aircraft operations. It is believed to be a trailer in the industrial park on United Ln. More at https://t.co/vhbRxCcLib pic.twitter.com/8SprwgxuOv
— Kris Habermehl (@KrisHabermehl) February 13, 2024
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Pan Am Trucking declined to comment on the incident.