JOLIET, Ill. – A large fire broke out at a manufacturing facility Monday morning in Joliet, leaving one firefighter injured.
Massive Joliet fire
What we know:
The fire started around 4 a.m. at Rovanco Piping Systems located at 20534 SE Frontage Road. Two employees arrived to work and found smoke in the building prior to calling 911.
Crews arrived to find heavy flames coming through the roof and the side of the building.
The ceiling collapsed onto one firefighter who suffered burns to his wrist and forehead. He was taken to St. Joe’s Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition. The firefighter was transported to Loyola Medical Center for further burn care.
The fire then intensified to a third-alarm blaze. Sixteen water tender trucks, 10 fire engines and two fire trucks responded to the scene.
What they’re saying:
A lack of fire hydrants at the scene posed problems for first responders.
“So the fire obviously had a good head start on us in that type of construction where it’s all open inside with just wooden beams and insulation. There’s no protection from the fire spreading. So it already had a significant head start and then the fact that we had to bring all the water in caused a delay,” Troy Fire Protection District Chief Paul Hertzmann said.
Many residents reported hearing explosions this morning with Hertzmann saying he witnessed at least four, which were most likely chemical-related. He said he doesn’t believe there are any air quality issues.
The building is considered a total loss, expected to be a $20 million to $30 million loss to the company. The fire was under control in less than five hours.
Rovanco manufactures pre-insulated piping systems. The company’s website said they have three manufacturing facilities totaling nearly 150,000 square feet across 20 acres.
The smoke plume from the fire was large enough to show up on weather radar.
What we don’t know:
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
The Source: The information in this report came from
