At 11:26 A.M., Saturday, November 25th, 2023, the Macomb Fire Department was requested by the Macomb Police Department to respond to the Macomb National Guard Armory, 135 W Grant Street, for a burning odor and haze within the building. The initial crew arrived on scene at 11:30 A.M. and located a locked storage room with smoke coming from around the door. Fire command initiated a request for all off-duty Macomb Firefighters. Crews forced their way into the storage room and located a smoldering fire from electrical charging equipment and stored batteries. A Carbon Dioxide extinguisher was used, and the crews began ventilating the structure of the smoke.
No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported.
Estimated loss at this time is approximately $150,000.
The cause of the fire is believed to have started in the storage room and is under investigation by the Macomb Fire Department and the Illinois National Guard.
Four on-duty Macomb Firefighters initially responded with an additional four off-duty firefighters staged at the fire station. Thank you to Macomb – McDonough County Communications Center , Macomb Illinois Police Department, Lifeguard Ambulance Service of Illinois, and the Illinois National Guard for their assistance with the incident.
The scene was cleared at 2:00 P.M
***Courtesy of the Macomb Fire Department***