The Skokie Fire Department received a call this morning reporting a building on fire in the 8700 block of Kimball Avenue. The caller stated that there had been an explosion and there was heavy fire. Skokie units responded and found the entire front of the two-story building at 8734 Kimball Avenue had been blown out. There was fire throughout the building and an injured party in the front yard area. The alarm was elevated to a Box Alarm which brought all Skokie companies to the scene plus an engine from Wilmette, a squad from Morton Grove, and a truck from Evanston in addition to companies to cover the Skokie stations.
The victim was reported to be in serious condition. The building fire was knocked down within 20 minutes and companies remained on the scene for much of the day. The instability of the structure prevented companies from conducting any interior searches. The building is scheduled for demolition on Tuesday morning.
Hank Sajovic, Tim Olk and Larry Shapiro all took in the fire and will have images to view.
The front of the two-story building at 8734 Kimball Avenue in Skokie was blown completely out. Hank Sajovic photo
Skokie Truck 18 had the front of the building and Engine 17 is off to the right side of the photo. Larry Shapiro photo
Light smoke escapes from the rear of the building as firefighters extinguish the fires. Tim Olk photo
Two elevated master streams continue to pour water into the building since firefighters were unable to make entry. Tim Olk photo
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Tim Olk photo
A view from the south shows the damage to the building. Skokie Tower 16 can be seen flowing water in the distance. Larry Shapiro photo
Skokie Tower 16 setup in the parking lot to the north and was flowing water across the neighboring building. Larry Shapiro photo
The building was unoccupied at the time of the explosion and was undergoing renovations. Larry Shapiro photo
News coverage can be found HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Larry has a gallery HERE.
Tim has a gallery HERE.
