April 4 Brush Fire Kept FFPD on Scene for Hours

Brush fire season comes in like lion in Frankfort.

A brush fire that got out of hand just before 2:30 p.m. April 4 in unincorporated Frankfort spread to an abandoned farm off of Stuenkel Road. The blaze, which was fueled by a breezy wind, kept firefighters on the scene for nearly six hours, according to Frankfort Fire Dept. Asst. Chief Larry Rauch. The last crews left the gravel road, located southwest of the intersection of LaGrange Road and Stuenkel Road, about 8 p.m. Firefighters said a few farm structures went up in smoke when a brush fire got out of control. Black smoke billowed from an abandoned silo for about three hours. Because the farm had been abandoned and the structures no longer insured, the loss was zero in terms of dollars, said Rauch. Fire crews from Frankfort, Orland Park…

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Cause of 100-year-old House Fire Still Undetermined

Traffic along Cedar Road was blocked for several hours.

Utility Lines Catch Fire at Spencer Road and Illinois Highway

Power was out in several surrounding subdivisions for 30 minutes before ComEd crews got it up and running.

A natural gas line caught fire Wednesday morning after a power line was downed. At 9:29 a.m. Wednesday a brush fire was reported at Spencer Road and Illinois Highway, according to New Lenox Fire Protection District Chief Jon Mead. Upon arrival by the emergency crew, it was discovered a power line was down. It was "live and arcing." The heat from the power line that lay on the asphalt got hot enough to start the underground natural gas line on fire. The cable is made of metal which carries an electric current. "We had a natural gas fire coming up from the street," he said. Sign up for breaking news alerts from Patch.  The first priority was to evacuate a nearby house and then get the utility companies out there. ComEd arrived first and …

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