Chicago firefighters faced a massive challenge as a gas-fueled inferno engulfed Universal Scrap Metals on the Near West Side, stretching from Saturday night into Sunday. The relentless fire required the efforts of 120 firefighters, some battling the flames and smoke for a grueling 10 hours. According to a WGN-TV report, the family-owned metal recycling center, a staple in the area for 50 years, saw multiple parts of their facility collapse under the fire's intensity.
An update from the Chicago Fire Department's media wing on X stated that heavy equipment was brought in to remove debris and allow firefighters to quench the concealed flames, buried within tons of copper.
3 11 update. 2500 Fulton . Owner has heavy equipment on scene. Fire continues to burn deep in tons of copper. CFD hitting with copious amounts of water to get at fire as debris is moved. pic.twitter.com/eifJm5CEnl
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) March 3, 2024
Despite the complexities presented by the structure, officials from Peoples Gas successfully shut off the gas that was fuelling the fire by around 4 a.m. Sunday, as revealed in the WGN-TV article. Flames of an unnatural green hue, signaling the burning copper, were a testament to the approximately 2 million pounds of the metal reported to have been stored by Universal Scrap Metals.
Robert Jurewicz, the District Chief of Chicago Fire Department, highlighted the fortress-like construction of the building as a significant barrier for the fire-fighting efforts, "Because of the way the building is built, almost like a fortress, it’s very hard to get water on all the components in there," he explained in a statement obtained by WGN-TV.
Despite the ferocity of the blaze, officials reported that no injuries had occurred as no employees were inside at the time the fire broke out. The fire's origin remains a mystery, with investigators on stand by to dive into the cause once the flames are fully extinguished and the scene is deemed safe.
