Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The Park Ridge fire marshal issued a citation on Thursday for failing to notify the fire department that a large amount of hazardous material was being stored at a site prior to the building erupting in flames.  Firefighters battled a large blaze that engulfed the former Harvey’s Marathon gas station at Northwest Highway and Oakton Street. The property owner failed to post signs on the property or let the fire department know that 45 tons of calcium peroxide was being stored in and next to the former gas station and service center building. The citation comes with a $500 fine.

The massive amount of calcium peroxide stored inside the building was going to be used to clean up soil contamination on the property, due to it having it operated as a gas station for a number of years. The property has been vacant since around 2013. The city of Park Ridge identified the property’s owner as Raza Holdings LLC. 

The fire department has identified the calcium peroxide as a hazardous material that caused the fire to build rapidly and injure two firefighters who sustained minor  burns.The Park Ridge Fire Department and other area departments that responded to fight the fire will likely seek reimbursement for damages to equipment plus labor expenses. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Cleanup at the site continued Friday, with monitoring by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. A plastic lined sand berm was installed on the property Thursday and cleanup was expected to continue through the weekend. The IEPA does not regulate the storage of calcium peroxide, and any requirements would fall under the local municipality’s laws. Any of the material that was not destroyed in the fire cannot be used on the property for the soil decontamination that had been planned.

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