A firefighter was injured and the Thirsty Turtle Bar in Antioch sustained extensive damage after a fire Wednesday evening, officials said.
The Antioch Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6 p.m. Wednesday to the Thirsty Turtle Bar and Grill, 42273 North Woodbine Avenue in unincorporated Antioch, for a report of a structure fire.
A neighbor called 911 after spotting smoke coming from the building, according to Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and found heavy flames inside the bar. Firefighters arrived and immediately began extinguishing the fire, Covelli said.
“Initially, there was conflicting information as to whether or not people could be inside,” Covelli said, adding that firefighters quickly searched the building to look for victims.
No civilians were injured but one firefighter was hospitalized in unknown condition.
The cause of the fire, which took nearly an hour and a half to extinguish, is under investigation and a damage estimate was not immediately available.
Both directions on Lake Avenue were closed for several hours while crews extinguished the fire Wednesday evening.