Extra-Alarm Union Barn Fire Under Control, But Still Burning
UNION, Ill. (STMW) -- A five-alarm barn fire that has been burning since Tuesday evening in northwest suburban Union is under control early Wednesday, although it could take up to two days for crews to completely extinguish it.
The fire, which burned down half of a barn in the 16100 block of Kunde Road, was first reported at 6:24 p.m., according to Woodstock Fire Department Captain Brendan Parker.
The barn was full of large bales of hay, and the closest fire crews were six miles away when the call came in, so about half the barn was engulfed in flame by the time the first firefighters arrived on the scene, Parker said.
Firefighters have the blaze under control, although it was still burning as of about 3 a.m., Parker said. A backhoe has been brought in to break up the hay bales and move them away from the fire, and Parker said it could take up to another day or two to completely put it out.
Parker said the amount of water that it would take to put the fire out wouldn't be feasible, so crews are instead working to isolate and contain the fire from the rest of the property until it burns itself out.
No injuries were reported in the fire, and all animals that were in the barn when it started have been accounted for, Parker said.
While the cause of the blaze is still under investigation, Parker said it did not appear to be suspicious.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
