Story posted Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Matty's Fire Investigation Continues
Nearly two weeks after fire ripped through Matty's Wayside Inn restaurant on Waukegan Road in Glenview, fire officials are still working out damage estimates.
Two passersby reported seeing smoke coming out of the roof of Matty's, a Glenview institution for over 30 years, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Firefighters received their first call about at 3:44 a.m. and would bring 90 firefighters from 11 communities into the fight before bringing the two-alarm blaze under control.
Glenview public works crews assisted firefighters using a backhoe to rip through walls to fight the flames.
The building was a total loss. Glenview fire officials are releasing few details saying the incident is still under investigation.
Arriving within minutes, firefighters found intense flames leaping through the roof in the center of the building.
Waukegan Road was shut down in both directions between Lake Avenue and Chestnut Avenue for a majority of the morning while firefighters battled the blaze.
Most of the fire was contained by 8 a.m. but fire officials said they were striking out "hot spots" until 11:30 a.m.
Glenview Fire Chief Wayne Globerger told the Journal & Topics Newspapers at the scene that firefighters made an initial attack that took them inside the building but found the fire too intense.
Because of concerns about heavy heating and air conditioning units on the roof that might collapse the roof, crews continued fighting the fire using a defensive attack from the exterior of the building.
Firefighters were on the scene within four minutes of the original dispatch. An extra alarm was called at 4:27 a.m. and a second alarm called at 6:01 a.m.
Waukegan Road's southbound lanes were reopened to traffic Wednesday at about 11:15 a.m. and northbound lanes reopened at 12:15 p.m.
The fire did not spread to other buildings. Globerger said there were no injuries and said the restaurant was unoccupied when firefighters arrived.
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