Fire destroys vacant house near Midtown Athletic Club on Hicks Road in Palatine on Thursday night, March 21, 2024 (CARDINAL NEWS). YouTube Tips ⓘ
Police, firefighters and paramedics responded about 10:38 p.m., Thursday, March 21, 2024 to a report of a house with flames showing in the area of 1855 N Hicks Road. Initially, a more general address was reported, but police and firefighters discovered the fire at 1855 North Hicks Road in Palatine — across from the Midtown Athletic Club at 1760 North Hicks Road.
A neighbor reported that she checked the address on the mailbox at the house to determine the exact address.
The fire department response was upgraded to a structure fire response (“working fire”) while fire companies were en route to the address based on reports of large amounts of smoke coming from the building. The first Palatine Fire Department unit arrived four minutes after the initial alarm, and reported smoke and fire coming from a vacant and boarded-up home. The initial fire crews deployed three hose lines to the exterior of the house for fire extinguishment. All firefighting operations were completed from the exterior of this vacant and boarded-up structure. There was extensive fire damage throughout the structure. The fire was declared under control at 11:02 p.m. Crews performed exterior overhaul to expose any hidden fire.
No civilians or firefighters were injured during this incident. The fire is currently under investigation and damage estimates are not available at this time.
A neighbor told CARDINAL NEWS that a woman lived in the home years ago, but that the house had been boarded up and vacant for a few years.
The fire was fought by twenty-five firefighters, staffing four engines, one ladder truck, one rescue squad, and three ambulances, which responded to the scene along with four command officers. The Lake Zurich Fire Protection District responded with a fire engine to the scene, and the Arlington Heights and Buffalo Grove Fire Departments each responded with an ambulance as part of an automatic aid agreement. The Rolling Meadows Fire Department responded with one command officer. During the incident, a Village of Barrington ambulance stood by at Palatine Fire Station 82 to provide coverage for any additional calls.
Palatine Police officers assisted at the scene with traffic and crowd control. Hicks Road was closed between Dundee Road and Rand Road, except to local traffic consisting of residents north of the fire scene. Smoke reduced visibility on Hicks Road and firefighters also connected to a fire hydrant across Hicks Road from the fire scene.
The National Weather Service office at Chicago O’Hare International Airport reported winds from the East at 13 MPH at 10:51 p.m. Skies were mostly cloudy and the air temperature was 36°F. A brief period of snow flurries occurred just before midnight at the fire scene, but was not reported at O’Hare.
House Fire 1855 N. Hicks Rd., Palatine, IL. Incident #24-02018
REMINDER …
The Palatine Fire Department reminds everyone to have working smoke alarms in their homes, whether it is a single-family dwelling, an apartment, or a condo.
For more fire safety tips visit
Palatine Community Risk Reduction
NFPA Education and Research Home Fire Safety
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