Web Extra!
Firefighters in Forest Park and nearby towns were roused by a 3:15 a.m. alarm for a blaze in a three-unit apartment building right across the street from village hall and the firehouse.
The fire, at 512 Des Plaines Ave., required assistance from the fire departments of Maywood, Oak Park, River Forest, Cicero and several other villages, according to Forest Park Fire Chief Steve Glinke.
It took two and a half hours to extinguish the fire, which left the building gutted, Glinke said.
According to the fire chief, there were no injuries and no other buildings were damaged.
Strangely, said Glinke, the building was completely unoccupied – “even though we have every reason to believe it was occupied as recently as a week ago,” he told the Review Thursday afternoon.
He said investigators found food in the refrigerators and that the three apartments were fully furnished. Glinke described these findings as “odd.” He said the cause of the fire is officially labeled “undetermined.”
According to Glinke, the fire started in a bedroom on the first floor.
“All I can say is, we had a group of fire investigators tour the digout this morning, and the state fire marshal’s office brought a K-9 to the scene.”
The village is working on reaching the owner of the building, Glinke said.
