A warehouse in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood endured significant damage Friday after a massive overnight fire that appeared to engulf the entire building sent big, black plumes of smoke into the sky and led firefighters to shut off power to an entire block.
As of early Friday morning, the fire was under control and most crews had left the scene, the Chicago Fire Department said. However, as of 5 a.m., stubborn hot spots and billows of black smoke still remained, NBC 5 Sandra Torres reported, with some firefighters coming back out.
The blaze began just before 11 p.m. Thursday in the rear of two-story warehouse located at 2701 North Pulaski Ave. in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, a tweet from CFD said. NBC Chicago later confirmed the business at that address to be Vero Design + Build, a company that designs and builds furniture and cabinets.
According to the the owner, the company had been renting the space for approximately 1.5 years.
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Shortly after crews arrived, the fire was upgraded to a 2-11 alarm fire, and then a 3-11 alarm fire, as phots and video from the scene showed giant flames shooting out of the building's windows and roof.
At one point, the roof appeared to cave in from the flames.
More than 120 firefighters responded to the scene, CFD said, with crews battling the blaze for more than four hours. Several streets in the area were temporarily closed, and bus lines were rerouted. For a short time, CFD opted to cut power to the block, as officials feared that power lines could catch on fire.
Additionally, a Hazmat team was called as a precaution since crews were unsure what materials were inside the building.
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"We had a bunch of things exploding inside the building," District Chief of the 2nd District Robert Jurewicz told NBC Chicago. "We didn't know what it was. We had to have our Hazmat team here just to make sure we didn't have something dangerous."
According to officials, no injuries were reported.
Daylight photos and video from the scene Friday showed the building appeared to be a total loss.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
