Illinois Fire Marshal investigating blaze that destroyed Washington Park police department
A three-alarm fire burned down a large portion of a Washington Park municipal building Tuesday afternoon, destroying important records and equipment.
The building on the 6500 block of Forest Avenue housed the village’s police, fire and works departments. It caught fire at around 2:30 p.m.
By 3 p.m. the building was fully involved in fire. Flames could be seen coming through the collapsed roof of the building and black smoke can be seen billowing for miles around.
Battalion Chief Ronnie Harris said the building is likely a total loss and that a new building probably will be needed. He said the fire, police and public works department were destroyed in the fire, along with the records kept inside and a large amount of equipment.
The building houses those departments, plus code enforcement and sanitation and sewage department. Around 15 employees were in the building at the time of the fire, but all escaped without injury, Harris said.
Harris said the Illinois State Fire Marshal is investigating the fire but could not comment on the cause of the fire.
Firefighters from French Village, Caseyville and Fairmont City have responded.
This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 5:01 PM.