Farmers Weekly Review

By Stephanie Irvine

 

A three-alarm fire engulfed the Tri-Star Cabinets, Inc. factory at 1000 S. Cedar Road in New Lenox Thursday.

The popular cabinet and counter shop was reduced to wet, smoldering debris from the fire. No one was reported injured.

The New Lenox Fire Protection District was alerted to a potential fire structure shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, according to Marisa Tomich of the New Lenox Fire Protection District.

“When crews arrived, they noticed heavy smoke and fire coming from the building,” Tomich stated. She also reported that several calls came into the 9-1-1 center to report the fire.

Within an hour, the fire was upgraded to a three-alarm fire, with a MABAS19 response that called in mutual aid from area departments.

Firefighters from Mokena, Manhattan, Frankfort, Elwood and East Joliet all responded to the call. Fire departments were on scene for hours working on the blaze.

“No evacuation orders were put in place by the NLFPD. We have several air monitors in the area,” Tomich stated. But some individuals reported on Facebook that they evacuated their homes due to the heavy smoke.

While no evacuation orders were in place, the NLFPD did want the scene clear so that fire personnel could work.

“We request people stay away. Some roads are closed and being rerouted,” Tomich stated. They expected to be on the scene for an extended time Thursday.

Emergency services closed nearby roads while firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, which cut off traffic to the Speedway gas station kitty-corner from the cabinet shop.

During the fire, witnesses nearby reported heavy, black smoke that could be seen for miles.

“We saw all the smoke. There was a lot of black smoke at first. Then, probably 15 minutes later, there were flames. This was about 11:30 when I saw the flames. I could see it over the pumps,” said witness Jaden Ingles, who works at the Speedway gas station.

“We didn’t have power for two and a half hours, so we weren’t taking any kind of customers. We’re open now, but it’s slow. Only firefighters.”

Rising Sun restaurant, which operates across the street to the west, had not yet opened when the fire started.

“We’re not affected. The wind is going south,” said Ming Heng, who works at Rising Sun.

Tomich reported that there were no injuries from members of the fire department, though the scene was still active at the time of the report.

The cabinet business started in 1966 and moved to the Cedar Road location from Joliet in 1970 and expanded to an 85,000-square-foot showroom and warehouse.

It is currently owned and operated by Joe and Kathy Wilda. After working for the family business for 30 years, Wilda took over for his father, Joe Wilda Sr., as President.

“Everyone is safe. Thanks for checking,” the Wildas posted to their personal Facebook profiles.

Later, after the blaze was under control, Tri-Star Cabinets published a statement to the business page:

“Today, Tri-Star Cabinets faced a challenging situation as a fire broke out in our building. Thanks to the quick actions of our dedicated employees, everyone was safely evacuated. We are incredibly grateful for your bravery and teamwork.”

The statement continued with “heartfelt thanks” to the responding fire departments, acknowledging their “swift response and professionalism.”

“Together, we will rebuild and come back stronger.” Thank you all for your courage and commitment!” the statement concluded, indicating that they intended to rebuild.

NLFPD anticipated they would still be on the scene for quite some time.

“We’re still monitoring the air quality. Everything has been safe. Should that change, we will notify everyone that needs to be notified,” Tomich stated.

Fire investigators were on the scene, but Tomich noted that they would not be able to determine the cause until after the fire was extinguished.

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter. Photos by Stephanie Irvine.