Firefighters from Buffalo Grove, Prospect Heights, and Wheeling along with police officers from Buffalo Grove and the Cook County Sheriff’s Police responded to a reported car fire Wednesday night near Dundee Road and Buffalo Grove Road. The police arrived first and reported a vehicle fully engulfed by fire on Buffalo Grove Road at East Park Place, which is almost a quarter of a mile south of Dundee Road in a small area of unincorporated Cook County that is within the Prospect Heights Fire District (PHFD).
The area which is without hydrants, is served through an agreement between the PHFD and Buffalo Grove. The initial response included Prospect Heights Battalion 9 with Ambulance 9 along with Buffalo Grove Tower 25. While en route, Battalion 9 requested a second engine after the report of a well-involved car fire and Wheeling Engine 24 was added to the response. A Buffalo Grove ambulance was sent at the request of Tower 25 upon their arrival and the discovery of a two-vehicle crash. Prospect Heights Tanker 9 was added to the response in lieu of using a several block supply line as it became evident that the tank water from both the tower and the engine was not going to be sufficient.
The car’s occupant self extricated and it appeared that the driver of the pickup truck may have fled the scene before the police arrived. One person was transported to the hospital and several others signed releases at the scene.