The fire in the 700 block of Illinois Ave. in Mendota last week destroyed five buildings. A sixth must be assessed to see how bad the damage is.
Fire Chief Dennis Rutishauser says fire fighters got there within three minutes of being told about smoke coming from the front of a downtown building. Within 15 minutes, the fire had spread through the building and was coming through the roof. When roofs starting falling in, fire fighters were ordered out.
No people were hurt, but some animals in a pet store died. Numerous other fire departments helped. The Office of the State Fire Marshall is investigating the cause.