Firefighters spent hours battling a massive blaze at a scrap metal company after the northwest suburban plant went up in flames late Wednesday night.
Flames were shooting through the roof of the 18,000-square-foot building at 1274 Rand Rd. in Des Plaines as firefighters arrived at the scene just after 11 p.m.
By 6 a.m. Thursday, crews were still fighting hot spots at the scene.
Fire officials said the fire started in the rear of the building. The owner was inside at the time but managed to get out and call authorities, said Deputy Chief Peter Dyer with the Des Plaines Fire Department.
No injuries were reported as multiple fire departments responded to the scene.
Small explosions erupted as flames grew, turning purple at times as they burned through metal and rubber materials and consumed at least half of the large building.
The full service scrap metal company has been around for more than 50 years.
Local
The fire caused road closures in the area, particularly along Rand Road. It was not immediately clear how long the road closures would last.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
