After flames burned well into the evening hours at the Newly Weds Food factory on Chicago's Northwest Side Tuesday, owners are set to return during the daylight Wednesday to assess the damage.
"Thank you to the Chicago Fire Department for all their hard work at 2501 N Keeler today, we appreciate the tremendous effort on our behalf," the company tweeted. "We will share more when we have had an opportunity to evaluate everything in the light of day."
Bright orange flames ripped through the roof of the building, burning for hours as evening descended in the city.
The fire sparked in the 4100 block of West Wrightwood Avenue in the city’s Belmont Gardens neighborhood shortly before 5 p.m. Firefighters could be seen on the roof trying to extinguish the flames as engines on the street arched ladders to the top of the building.
The Chicago Fire Department said in a tweet the fire was not considered a hazardous materials situation and no injuries were reported.
One firefighter was taken to the hospital for a "very minor issue," a fire official said.
The fire burned for roughly five hours before it was struck out around 10 p.m. The roof of a neighboring building caved in about 9 p.m.
By Wednesday morning, some flames could still be seen as smoke continued to flow out of the charred building.
According to its website, Newly Wed Foods is a "purveyor of customized breaders, batters, seasonings, and functional ingredients."
"When I stepped outside that's when I saw all the flames here," said Brian Guyton, who works for Newly Weds Foods. "I had just come back from break, 10 minutes later my supervisor was yelling 'fire!'"
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Employees and neighbors tell NBC 5 they’ve made several foods at the factory since 1936--including bread crumbs.
