Eight evacuated from Deep Tunnel fire
BY SUSAN DEMAR LAFFERTY slafferty@southtownstar.com February 15, 2012 2:42PM
Construction workers hug after reaching the surface following a fire in the deep tunnel project at an access point behind the Lincoln Oasis in South Holland, Illinois, Wednesday, February, 15, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 17, 2012 10:22AM
Eight workers were safely evacuated when a small fire broke out in the Deep Tunnel system near I-294 in South Holland about 2 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.
Walsh Construction was lining a tunnel with concrete when one of its compressors, being used for a power source, caught fire 225 feet down in the tunnel, said Allison Fore, a spokeswoman with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
Workers initially tried to put the fire out but then called the South Holland Fire Department, Fore said. It was quickly extinguished.
Fire department and Walsh Construction officials went back into the tunnel to assess the damage, Fore said.
The Deep Tunnel system was designed to reduce flooding throughout the area. Work is being done to connect the system to the Thornton quarry, but completion of the project is years away.
Contributing: Sun-Times Media
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