Schaumburg Fire Chief Jim Walters said one of the occupants of the building on the 1000-block of West Lunt Avenue had been working on a car inside the structure during the late afternoon, ABC7 Chicago news partner the Daily Herald reported.
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Sparks from a cutting tool ignited some gas-soaked rags, sparking the huge blaze.
"He attempted to put the fire out before calling the fire department," Walters said.
It took about two-and-a-half hours to get the fire under control after it broke out at around 6:30 p.m. in the building in an industrial area.
SEE MORE: Schaumburg fire crews monitor for hotspots after massive blaze destroys business
Part of the problem for firefighters was the walls in the structure collapsed, very quickly limiting their abilities. Another issue was the building layout.
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"The building is separated into many different compartments so we had a lot of access issues to get to the fire from the front end or the back," said Gus Tsoulos, with the Schaumburg Fire Department.
The fire was declared under control by 9 p.m. that evening.
The remaining structure was demolished after fire crews determined it was necessary to extinguish pockets of fire discovered amid the debris.
No one was injured. The person inside that called 911 managed to get out safely.