Joliet firefighters worked overnight to put out fire in a historic building

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Firefighters in Joliet spent hours putting out a fire in a historic building early Saturday morning.

Firefighters responded to a call of a fire at a 2-and-a-half story building at 927 Collins Street. The building dates back to 1891 and was the main office building of the Joliet Steel Works.

Firefighters got the call at about 3 a.m., according to Battalion Chief Fred Offermann

“Came in at a structure fire, which is just a building on fire, came in on the 900 block of Collins. Crews arrived, they saw a large brick building with fire coming out of each floor and the roof.”

Around 5:30 a.m., firefighters got a bulk of the fire under control. However, because the structure was too unstable to enter, firefighters remained on scene for hours to fully extinguish the fire.

The walls of the 40-by-60-foot Neoclassical/Romanesque structure, built with rusticated Joliet Limestone, remain standing.

The building is on the Landmarks Illinois list of Most Endangered Historic Places. It has not been occupied for about four decades.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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