$200,000 in damage was caused and firefighters had to use 30,000 gallons of water to extinguish a fire that broke out in a kiln at a firewood supplier in Lake in the Hills.
The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded around 11:27 a.m. Sunday to Lumberjacks Inc., 8195 Pyott Road in Lake in the Hills, for a possible mulch fire.
Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department Battalion Chief Darrell Cook said firefighters arrived and found a fire in one of the wood kilns on the property.
The incident was upgraded to a Working Fire response and then upgraded again to a box alarm through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS).
The upgrades brought the Algonquin, Barrington, Carpentersville, Cary, Fox River Grove, Huntley, Marengo, McHenry, Nunda Rural, Wauconda, Woodstock, Wonder Lake and Union fire departments to assist.
Firefighters deployed two hose lines and an aerial master stream to extinguish the fire, Cook said.
No fire hydrants were in the immediate area and a rural water supply was established with tender trucks hauling in water to the scene.
Approximately 30,000 gallons of water were used to extinguish the fire, Cook said.
Employees of Lumberjacks used machinery to assist in removing materials from the kilns to aid firefighters in extinguishing the blaze.
“Firefighters took great care to protect adjacent gasoline and diesel tanks/pumps and a vast supply of firewood during the fire suppression effort,” Cook said.
No civilians or firefighters were injured. Damage was estimated to be $200,000.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department.