The Huntley Farmside

              Cl)e Puntlep jFarmsiibE 1994 Brwai Guide
See Special Section Begins On Page 11
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF HUNTLEY SINCE 1960
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HUNTLEY, ILLINOIS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27,1994 - VOLUME 33, NUMBER 31
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USPS 580-360
Rre Destroys Refinishings Unlimited Building	
By Joyce Liput
The Refinishings Unlimited Auto Body Shop at 11914 Main Street in Huntley was destroyed by an early morning fire Friday, January 21, 1994.
The call was received at 3:43am. A passerby saw smoke coming from the building and went to Papa G's Restaurant where they called 911 to report the incident.
Huntley Fire Protection District responded immediately but the flames were already breaking through the roof when they arrived. Additional fire districts were called in to assist. The Huntley Fire Protection District was assisted by units from Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Marengo, Woodstock and Union and the Algonquin/LITH ambulance service. Fire¬ fighters also handled minor explosions when paint and finishing material exploded. No one was injured during the fire. It was the first major structural fire in the district since a barn fire south of Huntley 2 years ago.
Huntley Police Department, along with McHenry County police officers, blocked off Route 47 and Main Street in the vicinity of the fire while firefighters worked to control the blaze. The scene was complicated by a car crashing into a McHenry County squad car, narrowly missing the officer. No injuries resulted from the accident and the vehicles were towed away.
Huntley Fire Chief Dave Veath offered praise and thanks to all the firefighters for their extraordinary joint efforts. The fire was confined to the auto body shop, saving the adjacent storage buildings of the J. H. Patterson Lumber Co., nearby businesses and homes.
The fire was brought under
control by about 5am, though it was not declared extinguished until approx¬ imately 7am. Roadways were reopened to traffic by 8am. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the state fire marshal's office, but it is suspected that it started in the furnace room area.
Steve Wallace, owner of Refinishings Unlimited, plans to continue work from his undamaged SolarCrete building behind the fire-gutted structure. The charred building is being torn down during this week.
Eight cars were inside the business at the time of the fire. "Friday," said Wallace's wife, Debbie, "is usually a
busy day for us. We try to have cars ready for pickup by the weekends. Many of those cars were about finished." Several vehicles were parked outside the building and, though covered with ice and soot, they could be driven away.
She also commented on the amazing destruction of the fire. Walls, roof and vehicles were totally destroyed. "The desk was practically melted yet a newly arrived package, still in the shrink-wrap it came in, was in the drawer undamaged. And, apparently a container of screws and such fell on some wet cardboard boxes and the boxes and their contents were not burned. It's just amazing."
Huntley House Fire Claims Young Life —
By Tracey Schwartz
A five-year-old boy died in a house fire at 10322 N. Church Street in Huntley early Tuesday morning. This was the first fire-related fatality in Huntley in 17 years according, to Huntley Fire Chief Dave Veath. "Our firefighters made a valiant effort to try to bring out the young boy, they just weren't able to do so (in time)," said Veath.
The house located at the corner of Ronald and Church streets, was owned by Selim Abdullai, former owner of Sam's Sports Bar & Grill in Huntley. According to the chief it was a total loss as the first floor had caved into the basement. Veath said, "The house was totally gutted."
According to Veath neighbors at the apartment building across the street made the 911 fire call at 2:32am. The first engine was on the scene at 2:37am. There were eight occupants in the house of which seven had escaped when Huntley Fire arrived. Veath said four firefighters immediately entered the home to do a search and rescue, However, the heat was so
intense they only got as far as the hallway and had to exit the building through a picture window. Veath said they then went to a defensive attack which means they fought the fire from the outside. After knocking down the fire, firefighters made another interior attack and found the boy. By 4:15am the fire was under control and by 6am it was extinguished.
Other injuries included: a family member had an asthmatic attack and was treated and released on the scene; and a firefighter received a laceration to the left arm.
Huntley Fire Department was assisted by Algonquin/LITH Fire and Ambulance services and the Woodstock and Crystal Lake Fire Departments. As a precaution, two to three apartment buildings across the street were evacuated by Huntley Police.
The ca"use of the fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshall and HFPD. Veath said however, there is nothing suspicious about the cause.
School District #158
Citizen's Referendum Committee Met —
The first meeting of the District #158 Citizen's Referendum Committee was held on Jan. 24, at 7pm. The purpose of the meeting was to organize grassroots citizen support for passage of the school referendum on March 15, 1994. The referendum will provide funds for building the new Harmony Road Campus to alleviate overcrowding in j District #158. '
Several committees were established and work began
that evening. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 7pm in the Huntley High School cafeteria. Any and all persons interested in helping with this effort should plan to attend. They seek help with voter registration, phoning, publications, fund raising, and poll watching. They invite everyone to be a part of building a quality educational system for the children and the future!
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