Authorities Investigate Blaze At Fox Valley Ice Arena

GENEVA, IL — A fire over the weekend at the Fox Valley Ice Arena forced officials to evacuate the building. Authorities and fire crews were called to the ice arena at 1996 S. Kirk Road in Geneva at about 6:26 a.m. on Sunday after a fire alarm went off, according to a news release from the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, which runs the arena. Players and attendees at the One Hockey Central State Tournament, as well as staff and guests at the arena, were evacuated to a nearby parking lot.

Fire officials believe the blaze started in the building's refrigeration compressor room.

The night before, a belt snap snapped in one of three compressors in the room. The record heat contributed to the issues since the "compressors were working longer than normal," according to a post on the ice arena's Facebook page.

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Fire crews first at the scene found heavy black smoke showing from the roof area on the west side of the building, according to a news release from the Geneva Fire Department.

The building was evacuated and fire crews cleared the smoke and checked the building for any safety issues. Everyone was allowed back in around 9 a.m. No one was injured in the blaze and there were no reports of serious damage.

All programs were running as scheduled at the arena following the incident, according to Forest Preserve District officials.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.