Jul 29, 2008 6:27 am US/Central
Extra-Alarm Fire Destroys Tavern In Hillside
Smoke Slows Down Traffic On Eisenhower, Reagan Tollway
HILLSIDE, Ill. (CBS) ―
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An Old Style sign hangs stoically from the Hillside Tavern and Grill as the bar burns to the ground.
CBS
A fire destroyed a tavern in west suburban Hillside early Tuesday morning and sent plumes smoke billowing over the Eisenhower Expressway.
The fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. at Brauer's Hillside Tavern and Grill, at 57 N. Hillside Ave., officials said. Flames shot from the roof and all sides of the structure.
Nearby residents said they heard an explosion.
"It was kind of nerve-wracking," said Richard Jones. "We didn't know if the building was going to explode or anything. It sounded like half the block just exploded or something."
Fire officials later elevated the blaze to a fourth alarm. The high humidity kept the smoke from the blaze close to the ground, and slowed down traffic as it swept over the junction of the Eisenhower, the Interstate 290 extension, and the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway.
The fire was under control by late in the 5 a.m. hour. No injuries were reported, according to the Hillside Fire Department.
CBS 2's Kris Habermehl and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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