Firefighters for hours battled a fire that damaged semi-trailers and a commercial building, prompting the response of a dozen fire departments, in Antioch Monday morning.
The Antioch Fire Department and Antioch Police Department responded around 12:59 a.m. Monday to the 200 block of Depot Street for a report of a dumpster and vehicle on fire.
Fire crews arrived to find two semi-tractor trailers fully involved in flames, according to Antioch Fire Department Battalion Chief Joseph DuShane.
The fire was close to the commercial building at 212 Depot Street, which is where Fabry and Scott Holmes Cabinetry are located.
DuShane said firefighters used a hose line to protect the building while a water supply was being set up.
Firefighters encountered frozen hydrants, leading to a request for water tenders to respond to the scene.
The incident was upgraded to a structure fire response after fire crews discovered the fire had spread inside the building, DuShane said.
The incident was upgraded again through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to the box alarm level due to the extent of the fire and water supply needs.
The Lake Villa, Fox Lake, Round Lake, Newport, Waukegan, Zion, Grayslake, McHenry, Bristol, Salem, Kansasville and Pleasant Prairie fire departments responded to the incident.
The fire departments worked for approximately eight hours to extinguish and conduct overhaul operations to extinguish hidden fires.
An excavator from Jacobson Excavation was called to help with the extensive overhaul, DuShane said.
The businesses sustained heavy damage and are unoccupiable. A damage estimate for the vehicles and building was not known.
The Antioch Police Department said the fire occurred on the corner of Depot Street and Anita Avenue and that the roadways were shut down while the fire department worked.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Antioch Fire Department with the assistance of the Round Lake, Fox Lake, Lake Villa, Buffalo Grove and Lake Zurich fire departments.