• The Schaumburg fire today has caused major destruction in the commercial building. 
• The massive fire was started by some gas-soaked rags that were ignited by sparks from a cutting tool. 
• Firefighters faced difficulties partly because the building’s walls crumbled swiftly, limiting their options. 
• By nine o’clock that evening, the fire was deemed under control. 
• No casualties were reported. 

The Schaumburg fire today has caused major destruction in the commercial building. 

Investigators have discovered that the devastating fire that destroyed a commercial facility in Schaumburg on Thursday night was sparked by sparks produced while working on a car.

Jim Walters, the fire chief for Schaumburg, said that one of the building’s occupants had been working on a car inside the structure in the late afternoon. 

The building is located in the 1000 block of West Lunt Avenue. The massive fire was started by some gas-soaked rags that were ignited by sparks from a cutting tool. 

Before dialing the fire department, he made an effort to extinguish the fire, according to Walters. 

When the fire started at the building in the industrial neighborhood at about 6:30 p.m., it took nearly two and a half hours to put it out.

Firefighters faced difficulties in part because the building’s walls crumbled swiftly, limiting their options. The design of the buildings was another concern. 

According to Gus Tsoulos of the Schaumburg Fire Department, “the structure is divided into many different compartments so we had a lot of access challenges to get to the fire from the front end or the back.” 

By nine o’clock that evening, the fire was deemed under control. 

Firefighters decided it was necessary to destroy the remaining structure in order to put out pockets of fire that they had detected among the wreckage. Firefighters faced difficulties partly because the building’s walls crumbled swiftly, limiting their options. 

The design of the buildings was another concern.