Vehicle fires at Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights around the lunch hour on Monday, May 1. 2023. YouTube Tips ⓘ
Police, firefighters, and paramedics from Arlington Heights responded about 12:48 p.m. Monday, May 1, 2023 to a report of a vehicle fire in the south parking lot at Saint Viator High School, 1213 East Oakton Street in Arlington Heights.
Police received a report that an SUV was burning southwest of the school building, and that a second vehicle was catching on fire. Firefighters quickly extinguished fires in two vehicles, and prevented fires from spreading to additional vehicles in the parking lot.
No injuries were reported, and few if any students were outside near the vehicle fires. A third vehicle may have been damaged by heat. The parking lot was full along the south edge of the south parking lot next to the playing fields.
Wind, which was from the northwest about 20 MPH with gusts to 32 MPH, according to the NWS Chicago office at O’Hare International Airport, was blowing smoke and steam over the playing fields. The fires were extinguished within about 10 minutes.
Arlington Heights police officers were quick to take initiative to assist firefighters at the scene by protecting a fire hose placed across Dryden. Arlington Heights police closed Dryden Avenue between Oakton Street and Euclid Avenue during fire operations because firefighters placed a 5-inch hose across Dryden in case they needed a water supply from a fire hydrant on the west side of Dryden. Apparently firefighters were able to extinguish the fire with Engine 2’s tank water, and foam.
The fires involving two vehicles were extinguished within about 10 minutes. Arlington Heights Fire Department fire investigators were assigned to the scene. Initially there did not appear to be anything suspicious about the fires at the Saint Viator parking lot Monday.
According to fire radio communications dispatches heard on the air recently, there might have been a trend indicating an increased number of vehicle fires in the northwest suburbs the past two weeks.
Arlington Heights firefighters were dispatched to a vehicle fire on Rand Road west of Arlington Heights Road about 12:42 a.m. Wednesday, April 26, 2023, and were called to assist Schaumburg firefighters for a vehicle fire on westbound I-90 near Route 53 on April 28, 2023. Schaumburg firefighters also responded to a vehicle fire on the right shoulder of the eastbound lanes of I-90 west of Meacham Road on Sunday afternoon, April 30, 2023.
Hoffman Estates firefighters responded to a vehicle fire at Golf Road and Sutton Road on April 26, 2023, and Palatine firefighters responded to a vehicle fire in a parking lot at 297 North Northwest Highway on April 25, 2023.
Streamwood firefighters responded with Bartlett firefighters to a report of a vehicle fire at Elgin Toyota, 1600 West Lake Street in Streamwood on April 28, 2023.
Rolling Meadows firefighters responded to a report of a vehicle fire at 2765 Algonquin Road in Rolling Meadows on April 29, 2023.
Four vehicles also caught fire in a Walmart parking lot in Addison on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. A fire involving one vehicle spread to three others.
The information in this article is an early report published before any summary information was confirmed or released by police or fire authorities or witness on the scene.
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