More than 250 firefighters battle warehouse blaze in LawndaleDavid Struetton December 10, 2020 at 4:13 pm

The fire was located at Best Value Autobody Supply Inc., which is a warehouse with more than 100,000 auto parts.

Hundreds of firefighters on Thursday battled a fire in Lawndale that had completely engulfed an auto parts warehouse on the West Side.

No injuries were reported as of 10 a.m., more than an hour after crews were called to flames shooting through the roof of Best Value Autobody Supply Inc., at 4425 W. 16th St., Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said.

“It’s fully engulfed. [The damage] is extensive,” Merritt said.

“It’s still burning black smoke. It’s a roaring fire,” according to Merritt, who said the building will most likely be demolished.

The warehouse holds more than 100,000 auto parts, according to its website.

More than 250 firefighters and 90 engines and trucks had responded to the fire, which was considered a hazardous materials incident due to the material inside the building, Merritt said.

Crews were called at 8:46 a.m. from someone claiming to be inside the building who said the roof was on fire, Merritt said. Within the half hour after that, the fire had spread and the fire department upgraded the fire to a three-alarm.

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