A fire broke out at a Sikh temple in the far northwest suburbs Tuesday evening.
Officials from the ATF and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office were called to investigate a two-alarm fire that destroyed a Sikh temple Tuesday night in Island Lake, northwest of Chicago.
Firefighters arrived to see smoke “billowing from the building,” said Waconda Fire Chief David Dato.
Crews upgraded the call to a second alarm, and additional fire departments from the surrounding area responded, Dato said. At first, firefighters were able to battle the blaze from inside the building, but as flames spread, crews had to take a defensive position, Dato said.
Fire crews had to tackle the fire from outside the building using handlines and aerial streams due to unsafe conditions caused by hidden fire in the walls and the floors above.
The fire did extensive damage to the Sikh temple and caused the building’s roof to almost entirely collapse.
“The interior as well as the exterior has suffered heavy damage,” Dato said. “”This is a very, very old structure.”
Firefighters put out the blaze just after midnight, and no injuries were reported, officials said.
Baba Daljit Singh,Gurdwara’s pastor, came to the scene. He said nobody was inside the building at the time of the fire.
“It’s very sad news for us,” he said. “I feel I am burning inside…I have no words.”
Fire officials said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as well as the Illinois State Fire Marshall will investigate the fire Wednesday morning because the structure housed a place of worship.
Source: Chicago Tribune