Up to 800 Oak Park residents could be without power this evening, according to the village, as fire crews work following a three-alarm fire and explosion at Turano Baking Company garage Tuesday afternoon.
Local firefighters, police and paramedics responded to a fire at Turano Baking Company, 6520 W. Roosevelt Rd., after reports of an explosion at the company’s garage.
The Oak Park Fire Department received the call at about 2:15 p.m. to the 3-alarm fire at the bakery’s truck fleet maintenance facility on the Oak Park side of Roosevelt Road, village spokesman David Powers said in a telephone interview. Powers said he still is unable to confirm any details but said there have been reports of explosions from the fire.
He said three people were taken to Oak Park Hospital, but their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, noting that witnesses on the scene report seeing all three people walk to the ambulance for medical assistance. Powers did not know the nature of their injuries or whether they were Turano’s
Powers said the buildings adjacent to fleet maintenance facility have been evacuated and Roosevelt Road has been closed between Oak Park Avenue and Ridgeland Avenue.
Henry Weldon was raking leaves at his home on Euclid near Roosevelt in Oak Park when he heard an explosion.
“The whole neighborhood shook pretty much,” Weldon said. “There were emergency crews rushing in trying as hard as they could but the whole thing was engulfed in flames and smoke.”
Jesse Galvez also heard an explosion at his home on 15th and Highland in Berwyn and ran outside when he could see thick black smoke.
“I didn’t think anything of it until I saw the black smoke,” Galvez said. “I walked outside towards the fire and that’s when I saw one of the Turano establishments in flames. The fire spread on to some of the trucks.
“I had heard three or four people were injured. I did see the ambulances out there so I’m pretty sure someone got hurt.”
Kate FitzGerald, co-owner of Berwyn nightclub FitzGerald’s at 6615 Roosevelt Rd., said she was sitting inside her business when she heard a huge bang.
Once outside, like Galvez, FitzGerald said she saw a “huge column of black smoke about 100 feet in the air.” When she walked closer to where the sound had come from, FitzGerald said she saw flames near Turano about two stories high.
“There had to be some injuries,” FitzGerald said. “The sound was just really powerful.”
Firefighters told FitzGerald that Roosevelt Rd. will reopen around 5 p.m. Tuesday evening.
Ashley Lisenby, digital editor, and David Pierini, staff photographer contributed to this story.
