A massive fire broke out Saturday at the Candlewood apartment complex near 87th Street and 88th Avenue, displacing residents and disrupting traffic for much of the day.
The fire occurred at 8510 S. 88th Terrace, in one of three apartment complexes in the area. The blaze escalated to a four-alarm fire, requiring assistance from 20 fire departments, including Roberts Park Fire Protection District.
“The first alarm came in around 11:25 a.m.,” Roberts Park Fire Protection District Chief Jeffrey Ketchen said. “We were on the scene until 5:30 p.m., but we were back again for hot spots at 6:30 p.m., then again at 1 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. Sunday. That’s not uncommon for a fire like this.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Ketchen said the building was severely damaged, making it difficult to determine what started the blaze.
“It caved in. There’s still an active investigation, but the scene is a difficult one,” he said.
Ketchen estimated the building had 23 units, with 12 on one side and 11 on the other, separated by a firewall. The north side suffered heavy fire damage, while the south side sustained primarily smoke and water damage.
While it’s unclear how many residents lived in the building, none of the units are inhabitable. No injuries were reported, and the Red Cross was assisting displaced residents.
The complex had smoke alarms but no sprinkler system. Ketchen said the last fire of this magnitude in Candlewood occurred in December 2018.
Brian Bernardoni, president of the Roberts Park Fire Department Board of Trustees, praised the efforts of responding crews.
“There’s a reason we have mutual aid,” Bernardoni said. “Lyons, Bridgeview, North Palos, among others, were there. Speaking as a civilian leader, the teamwork I saw reinforces why we should acknowledge the hard work they did in cold, wet conditions.”
Community leaders are working to support affected families.
“I’ve already seen how much effort is being made,” Bernardoni said. “Leaders from School District 109, the Justice Park District, and others are trying to put together a plan to help.”
Crystal Skoczylas, superintendent of Indian Springs School District 109, said her district is assisting students and families affected by the fire.
“We have done a few things already and plan to continue helping,” Skoczylas said. “I am working with principals to collect necessities. If anyone wants to help, they can contact me at cskoczylas@isd109.org.”
At Argo Community High School, Superintendent Dr. William Toulious said a crisis management fund was established Monday morning.
“We have set up our Crisis Management Fund through our Social Workers Office,” Toulious said. “If anyone would like to donate, a GoFundMe link will be sent out soon. We also have social workers and emotional support services available for all during this time.”
Original story
Over a dozen families were left homeless after a relentless blaze engulfed an apartment building in Justice Saturday morning.
The fire broke out on the third floor of an apartment building in the 8500 block of South 88th Terrace.
Roberts Park Fire Department crews arrived at the scene around 11:30 a.m. shortly after the fire began.
Even though most residents were out of the 16-unit building when firefighters arrived on the scene, they were able to evacuate the last few residents out of the building unharmed.
Both the residents and firefighters reported no injuries.
The alarms were upgraded throughout the day to bring in more help to battle the blaze.
Nearly 20 departments showed up to help battle the blaze. Some of those came from as far as Homer Glen, Hometown, La Grange, and Brookfield as well as nearby departments like North Palos, Oak Lawn, and Bridgeview.
Firefighters fought the fire for roughly seven hours. After the roof collapsed, the third and second floors followed suit. Firefighters were called out three more times as the fire rekindled at 6 p.m. Saturday and at 1 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. Sunday morning.
Nearby roads were blocked off until almost 6 p.m. to allow the firefighters enough workspace to fight the fire. Hose attachments could be seen stretching down 88th Avenue to connect to other water supplies.
The Red Cross was on scene to help residents as the building was left inhabitable due to fire and water damage leaving many homeless on the cold, winter night.
Residents have seen neighboring buildings in the massive apartment complex catch fire in recent years. Oaks and The Laurels of Willow Hill apartment buildings were the scenes of major fires in June and December of 2019.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation as of Sunday afternoon.
By Carol McGowan and Xavier Sanchez