Excerpts from the daily-journal.com:

Fire swept through Vanfab Inc., destroying the 7,000-square-foot metal fabricating production facility and offices on Friday afternoon. On the southwest corner of the block long facility was the original 3,000-square-foot stone building erected in 1896. That original building also housed the town’s U.S. Post Office for the town of about 60 residents.

Firefighters from more than 20 departments fought the fire. It was the biggest fire in the western part of Kankakee County in the past 20 years. All 32 employees at work when the fire broke out at about 1:10 p.m. were evacuated.

A spark from a crane was what started the fire.

Herscher Assistant Fire Chief Corey Eich, the incident commander, said no firefighters were injured, but within a few minutes of firefighters arriving, the building was totally involved. Firefighters cooled two 1,000 gallon tanks containing liquid nitrogen on the east side of the facility.

fire department tanker

Tim Olk photo

fire department tanker

Tim Olk photo

fire department tankers

Tim Olk photo

fire department engine

Tim Olk photo

fire department tanker

Tim Olk photo

Tim Olk photo

heavy smoke from fire

Tim Olk photo