Watch: Chicago Firefighters Battle 2-11 Fires in Church, Strip Mall

Two Thanksgiving fires in Chicago Sunday gutted a church and caused extensive damage to a strip mall.
Nov. 30, 2025

Chicago firefighters battled two second alarm (2-11) fires on the city's Southside on Thanksgiving.

Fire crews were called to the 2500 block of West Cermak Road in Little Village around 1 p.m. for a fire in a strip mall. 

Officials said the fire started in a dollar store (see video below) and spread to adjacent businesses, requiring an 2-11 alarm being called.

Two aerial platforms and a Snorkel squad were used to contain the blaze.

The second 2-11 fire (see video above) was reported at Renewal Life Church at West 59th Street and South Emerald Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood. 

The church was built in the late 1800s.

As firefighters used a defensive attack on the blaze, the center of the church collapsed, bringing most of the structure down.

About the Author

Steve Redick

Steve Redick worked as a Chicago Fire Department dispatcher for 35 years. Since the late 1970s, Redick has been a fire photographer, capturing the work done by firefighters in Chicago and surrounding communities. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Fire Museum, and he is a self-published author and owner of the historical FD website: ksc711.smugmug.com.

 

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