Fire Rips Through Northwest Side Deli
UPDATED 2/10/11 7:54 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) - Firefighters contended with bitter cold while battling a blaze at a deli in the Northwest Side's Jefferson Park neighborhood.
It took more than three hours to get the flames under control at Andy's Deli, 5442 N. Milwaukee Ave.
The fire broke out about 9:55 p.m. Wednesday and was quickly elevated to a 2-11 alarm blaze, Fire Media Affairs said.
The extra alarm was called because of the intensity of the fire and the possibility of water problems in the cold, Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford said.
The fire was struck out shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday, officials said.
There were no injuries and no reason to suspect foul play, said Fire Dept. spokesman Joseph Roccasalva, although the Office of Fire Investigations will investigate.
Despite the bitter cold temperatures, no weather-related hydrant problems were reported.
Andy's Deli sells Polish sausages and a variety of European meat products. On its Web site, Andy's says it is "the largest producer of a wide variety of authentic Polish sausages in the Chicagoland area."
The deli's history dates back nearly a century. Founder Mike Mikolajczyk first opened the sausage shop in 1918, while current owner Andy Kolasa bought it in the 1980s.
Andy's also has a location at 4021 W. Kinzie St.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
