Big Blaze Bashes Fox Valley Sports Storage

A blaze erupted early Wednesday morning at a commercial building in Lake in the Hills that stored snowmobiles, boats and personal watercraft. Firefighters were summoned just before 1 a. m. to the address 8913 South Route 31, where they discovered heavy smoke and flames coming from a metal pole barn. The structure’s size and the intensity of the fire forced 12 neighboring departments to join the effort, according to the district chief. When crews first entered, a partial roof collapse forced them to retreat and switch to an exterior defensive strategy. The goal was to keep the fire from spreading further into surrounding properties.By 2:24 a. m. , the fire was declared under control and no injuries were reported. The cause remains under investigation, with officials looking into potential ignition sources. Numerous agencies assisted either on the scene or by covering calls during the incident, including fire protection districts from Cary, Fox River Grove and Huntley, as well as departments from Crystal Lake, West Dundee, Carpentersville and others. The Lake in the Hills Police Department and the Salvation Army also responded. The incident highlights how quickly a fire can grow in large storage facilities and the importance of coordinated emergency response. It also underscores the need for regular safety checks in commercial structures that house high-value equipment.