On Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, a massive fire engulfed an Oak Park apartment building at 1239 N. Taylor Ave. The fire burned through the unoccupied building for over 10 hours. Since then, the Village of Oak Park has spent months seeking approval to demolish the structure, according to previous reporting in Wednesday Journal.
Since the fire, the village has filed several emergency motions seeking permission to demolish the building, or an order requiring property owner Sameer Chhabria to demolish it. The most recent one, the village’s fifth verified emergency motion, was filed in late May. According to the motion, the village was notified in May that squatters had taken shelter in the building, which the motion noted is in “dangerous and unsafe condition.”
“The village and the public will suffer irreparable harm should the conditions at the Subject Property continue to exist, and the village has no other adequate remedy at law,” said the motion, which was signed by assistant village attorney Rasheda Jackson.
In an Aug. 4 hearing, the judge ordered Chhabria to provide the village with proof of insurance for the general contractor and subcontractor registration information and to “extend Cook County demolition permit, if necessary.” According to filings from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, the next court date in the ongoing case between the village and Chhabria is set for Aug. 25.
Prior to the fire, the building had been cited for code violations amounting to at least $40,000 in fines. Filings from court cases involving the building say village inspections found foundational damage, exposed writing, and inoperable smoke detectors. Weeks before the fire, the village obtained a court order to clear the building of any occupants.
In a brief interview with Wednesday Journal in February, Chhabria attributed the deterioration of the property preceding the fire to the presence of squatters.