CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
Careless smoking is to blame for a massive fire Tuesday on the North Side. The building was being torn down Wednesday morning, as firefighters look to douse hot spots from the debris.
CTA service is back to normal Wednesday morning after a massive fire disrupted service on three CTA train lines on the North Side.
Lincoln Park residents wondered Wednesday morning if one of their favorite stores will ever re-open after a three alarm fire.
Firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze that engulfed a Lincoln Park furniture warehouse and caused CTA delays during Tuesday afternoon rush hour.
The fire started about 3:45 p.m. at Roy's Furniture at 2455 N. Sheffield Ave.
"A little fire and we ran to go get water and by the time we came back like half the store was already in flames and it was literally in a matter of a minute we had to get out because everything started collapsing in," Roy's marketing manager Johanna Parra said.
One hundred and sixty firefighters were on scene pouring water in through first and second floor windows in the showroom and the warehouse around back. Customers and neighborhood residents watched with a twinge of sadness, reflecting on the loss of a favorite local store.
"It's really sad because it's been a mainstay in the neighborhood," customer Stephanie Easom said. "We've been here 16 years and it was here prior to us moving here and a lot of people in the neighborhood buy things here."
Fire Media Director Larry Langford said the blaze in the two-story was elevated to a three-alarm fire because of the danger the building could collapse, as well as the high heat and high winds, which are hampering firefighting efforts.
The fire department activity partially shut down service on the Brown and Red lines, while Purple Line Express service remains suspended going southbound into the Loop as of 9 p.m.
"I was on the Brown Line coming home and they stopped the train right after we pulled out of Fullerton and they said something about a fire and I looked back at the platform at Fullerton and all the people are taking pictures," Brown line passenger Mark Murphy said.
Roy's Furniture claims on its website to be one of the "oldest established furniture companies in Chicago." The store says its showroom has one of the largest selections in the Chicago area.
Roy's claims to be one of the oldest furniture stores in Chicago. Roy's children, who now run the business, said they hope to be able to rebuild and re-open soon.
"I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I hope, you know, we come back," Parra said.
(Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.)
