Tuesday, January 6, 2015

FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE MASSIVE WAREHOUSE (ASHER TOOL BUILDING) FIRE IN ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS



FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE MASSIVE WAREHOUSE (ASHER TOOL BUILDING) FIRE IN ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS









Posted: Jan 06, 2015 9:06 AM EST Updated: Jan 06, 2015 9:18 AM EST





UPDATE (WKOW) --A massive fire at a Rockford, Illinois warehouse is still burning as of 8:00 a.m., nearly 7 hours after it started.
WREX-TV reports the Asher Tool building caught fire around 1:30 a.m. Firefighters have not been able to enter the building, so they continue to douse it with water from the outside. Crews have not been able to contact the owner of the building, but they says it was a storage facility.

One firefighter suffered a minor ankle injury. He was treated and released. Other firefighters are battling cold wind chills along with the blaze, and rotating often so they can rest.

ComEd shut off power to the area to help fire crews, so about 350 other customers don't have power. There's no estimated time when power will be restored.

The Rockford Fire Department has called in a contractor to demolish the front part of the building to avoid an accidental collapse onto nearby power lines.

WREX reports flames from the fire started to threaten a nearby hotel. Clients and employees were evacuated and relocated.

Fire officials think they will likely be on scene all day and possibly into the evening. They're not sure how long it'll take to extinguish the flames. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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ROCKFORD, Ill. (WKOW) --  Multiple fire departments are on the scene of a large warehouse fire in Rockford, Illinois.

According to our sister station, WREX-TV, the massive fire broke out at Asher Toll and Machine Sales. One firefighter has been treated for non-life threatening injuries.



The entire building is engulfed in flames. Crews are still working on putting it out at this time and there are few details available.