Fire at NW Side lumber yard upgraded to three-alarm

CHICAGO (STMW) - Firefighters were battling a second extra-alarm blaze that flared up Tuesday morning about two hours after an earlier fire was extinguished at a lumber yard in the Norwood Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

The second fire broke out in the same place as the first at Harry’s Lumber Company at 6220 N. Northwest Hwy., Fire Media Affairs said about 7:30 a.m. It was upgraded to a three-alarm fire about 8:20 a.m.

About 4:30 a.m., firefighters requested a special ventilation unit to fight the first blaze, which was struck out by 5:25 a.m., fire officials said.

The same lumber yard caught fire 25 years ago on Oct. 19, 1990, Fire Media said.

All Metra trains on the Union Pacific Northwest line were temporarily halted in the area due to the fire’s close proximity to the tracks, according to the transit agency. As of 6:15 a.m., trains were on the move again, operating 10-30 minutes behind schedule at a restricted speed.