Huge Warehouse Fire Near Joliet Under Control: Fire Dept

JOLIET, IL — The New Lenox Fire District issued a press statement around 9:10 p.m. Saturday announcing that both directions of I-80 remain shutdown as scores of Will County area firefighters battled a commercial structure fire in New Lenox near I-80. Fortunately, the fire is now under control, the fire department informed Patch.

The fire occurred outside the village of New Lenox limits at the International Chimney Corporation.

New Lenox Fire learned of the blaze around 4:30 p.m. in the 20600 block of Amherst Court. Once the fire trucks got to the street, they found two buildings fully engulfed. New Lenox Fire "went to a defensive approach right away. One building is a complete loss, the other building has significant fire damage is still in the process of being put out."

The cause of the fire remains unknown, the New Lenox Fire Department indicated as of around 9 p.m. Saturday.

Early in the evening, clouds of dark black smoke were seen for miles near New Lenox and the east side of Joliet. It was a warehouse fire east of Joliet's Cherry Hill area. The location of the fire was in unincorporated Will County, according to WJOL 1340-AM Morning Show Host Scott Slocum who captured this photo. There were no reported injuries, he said.

Northern Illinois FireGround Photos Facebook page reported there was a box alarm fire at 20622 Amhurst Court in New Lenox, calling it a fully involved structure fire and that the foam task force was called in from Elwood.

Illinois State Police closed eastbound I-80 due to brush fires caused by the nearby blaze.

Some Patch readers commented that they could see the clouds of smoke from as far away as Naperville, Tinley Park and even Yorkville.

"I saw the smoke from Bolingbrook," one man informed Joliet Patch.

Another reader commented that they can see the flames from Wilmington and Peotone Road.

Another Joliet Patch reader informed everyone on the story comment thread that "They are getting foam to the location from Exxon Mobil."

Patch will update the article later once more details surrounding the warehouse blaze are known.