Blaze Destroys Belmont Cragin Laundromat
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A laundromat in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood was destroyed overnight when flames raged for more than three hours before firefighters put out the fire.
The fire started shortly before 2 a.m. at JM Coin Laundry, at 5130 W. Fullerton Av.
The biggest challenge was a large gas line that runs through the building. Fire officials said it was difficult to shut off a stuck valve, which only perpetuated the fire.
"You usually have a large diameter gas line going in there. This one has a four-inch going in, which is a very large gas line, volume of gas, and I think that's what kept feeding the fire for so long. Once they were able to shut that down, they were able to get the fire out right away," Chicago Fire Department Battalion Chief Thomas McCormack said.
The roof of the building collapsed more than an hour after the fire started, and at times flames were shooting 40 feet into the air.
"Being that this unit has heavy equipment on top of the roof, the weight of that equipment caused it to collapse in with the volume of fire," McCormack said.
Crews did not get the fire extinguished until about 5 a.m.
The building was a total loss.
The cause of the blaze was under investigation, but the fire appeared to have started in the rear of the building.
No injuries were reported.