Homewood, Illinois firefighters, along with some 20 other communities, battled a 5-11 alarm plus 1 special alarm fire at a Magic and Costume Shop on October 31, 2004.
The building located at 183rd & Dixie Highway was occupied by Chuck's House of Magic. The first call was received at 8:46 PM for smoke coming from the building. Firefighters attempted an interior attack but were forced to evacuate when conditions deteriorated quickly.
Firefighters faced many challenges including an exposure to the east of the fire building, the heavy fire load, extreme heat, and exploding compressed air cylinders.
Firefighters remained on the scene controlling hot spots well into the next day. No injuries were reported, and the fire remains under investigation.
