ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Crews from the Rockford Fire Department respond to a fire inside the former Singer Mental Health Center on Sunday afternoon.
Photos from WIFR’s Mike Garrigan show several Rockford firefighters on scene at 4402 N. Main St. He also describes the smell of “burning rubber.”
Rockford Fire District Chief Jeff Althoff says the situation started with a fire in the elevator shaft. Crew members spent 20 minutes extinguishing flames.
Althoff adds there was difficulty accessing the inside of Singer due to fire hydrant distance. No one was reportedly found on the property as well.
Rockford Fire hasn’t yet released any official information concerning the situation. No cause or potential injuries is known.
Singer Mental Health Center operated from 1966 until it was abandoned in 2012 – reportedly due to budget cuts under former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in 2012.
In 2017, WIFR reported noticeable vandalism inside the property.
This is a developing story. The article will be updated as more information becomes available.
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