Commercial fire in Waukegan, 6-15-20

June 29, 2025

Excerpts from the Waukegan Fire Department's Facebook page:

This afternoon around 3 p.m., the Waukegan Fire Department responded to a working structure fire at a large strip mall on the 2300 block of Grand Avenue. First-arriving units found smoke and fire visible from the roofline of this 15-unit strip mall, which also includes a large attached medical building.

Chief Bridges expressed immense pride in the firefighters who quickly extinguished the rapidly spreading fire and safely managed the situation, preventing what could have been a major disaster. The community showed great support, with many residents helping to move vehicles that were blocking access to the mall. The aggressive firefighting tactics used by the department stopped the fire from spreading to the medical building and neighboring businessesâ€”over half of which were able to reopen within two hours. While there was some damage, the outcome could have been much worse. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Thanks go out to our neighboring fire departments for their assistance, as well as the Waukegan Police Department, who managed traffic control and scene safety during rush hour.

Waukegan Fire Marshal Lenzi is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

Waukegan firefighters were called to 2323 Grand Avenue this afternoon after roofers accidentally started a fire that caused significant damage to the roof, facade, and stores below. The incident was escalated to a MABAS Box Alarm, with additional resources from North Chicago and Gurnee, along with multiple local departments providing station coverage. The fire was brought under control in approximately 40 minutes.