Big Blaze Bashes Fox Valley Sports Storage

A blaze erupted early Wednesday morning at a commercial building that stored snowmobiles, boats and personal watercraft. Firefighters were summoned just before 1 a.m. to 8913 South Route 31, where they discovered heavy smoke and flames coming from a metal pole barn. The structure’s size and the intensity of the fire forced 12 neighboring departments to join the effort, according to the district chief.

Response

• First Entry: A partial roof collapse forced crews to retreat and switch to an exterior defensive strategy.
• Goal: Keep the fire from spreading further into surrounding properties.

By 2:24 a.m. the fire was declared under control and no injuries were reported.

Agencies Involved

• Fire protection districts from Cary, Fox River Grove, and Huntley
• Departments from Crystal Lake, West Dundee, Carpentersville, and others
• Lake in the Hills Police Department
• Salvation Army

Investigation

The cause remains under investigation, with officials looking into potential ignition sources.

Takeaway

This incident highlights how quickly a fire can grow in large storage facilities and the importance of coordinated emergency response. It also underscores the need for regular safety checks in commercial structures that house high‑value equipment.