From staff reports
Orland Fire Protection District firefighters responded to a fire Monday evening at the Al Bahaar Restaurant, 39 Orland Square Dr.
At first, restaurant owners suspected the fire alarm was triggered by a malfunction, but as firefighters inspected the restaurant to reset the fire alarm, they detected a burning smell.
“What we found was a fire that was inside the wall of the restaurant,” said Fire Chief Michael Schofield.
“The danger of a fire inside a wall is that it climbs up inside the wall above the sprinkler system and can do far more damage.”
The fire response was then upgraded to bring in additional units from Orland Fire, Palos Heights, Palos Park, Tinley Park and other surrounding fire districts and departments.
Firefighters moved quickly to open the wall exposing heavy smoke and flames, which were rapidly extinguished, preventing the fire from spreading further and causing more damage.
“The diligence of the initial fire company should be commended, given that their actions saved a potential total loss by locating a hidden fire within a wall that could have spread to the unprotected attic area and destroyed this building or caused harm to patrons and employees,” Schofield said.
No one was injured.
What caused the fire?