Petco Warehouse Explosion Sparks Fire In Joliet

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Fire Department sent crews from four fire stations to Tuesday night's fire inside the Petco warehouse, 4001 Olympic Blvd. Fire chief Greg Blaskey said the warehouse manager ordered all the employees to evacuate the building around 7:45 p.m. and an explosion occurred a minute later. Nobody was injured.

"The cause of the fire was due to an employee operating a riding floor cleaner who had run over a piece of pallet," Blaskey said. "The floor cleaner began to smoke and caught fire."

Joliet's fire chief said that the floor cleaner was powered by propane, and the tank had ruptured from the fire, causing the explosion.

Joliet firefighters found the warehouse full of smoke upon arrival. Fortunately, Blaskey said, the building's sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire. Joliet firefighters remained on the scene to help with overhaul and ventilation, the chief said.

Crews from Station 7, 6, 8, and 5 responded.

Blaskey said the Petco building did not sustain any significant damage. He said there were about a dozen employees working at the time.

The chief credited the building's sprinkler system for keeping the building damage minimal.

"There's a reason sprinklers are in place, to give people time to escape when there's a fire," he said.