Nehring Electrical Works building damaged by fire in downtown DeKalb

DeKALB – Machinery inside an industrial building in downtown DeKalb caught fire Tuesday night, and the cause remains under investigation, authorities said Wednesday.

Crews from the DeKalb Fire Department responded at about 8:33 p.m. Tuesday to Nehring Electrical Works, 813 E. Locust St., DeKalb, for reports of smoke in the building, according to a news release from the fire department.

When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke coming through an overhead door of the single-story building. Crews brought a hose line into the building to put out the structure fire, which spread when industrial machinery went up in flames, authorities said.

Crews brought the fire under control in about 45 minutes, though remained at the building site for about two hours.

No injuries were reported. Authorities estimated the building sustained about $150,000 in damages from the fire, however.

No cause has been determined as of Wednesday. The building also was ventilated, according to the release.

Crews from Sycamore, Cortland, Genoa-Kingston, Maple Park and Shabbona fire agencies assisted, along with DeKalb city and county police emergency dispatchers.

It’s not the first time a fire broke out inside a Nehring building recently. One employee suffered an injury in an industrial fire at the Nehring Electrical Works building at 1434 E. Lincoln Highway about midday on Dec. 15. The facility is home to Nehring Electrical Works Co., which manufactures wire and cable products. Authorities said that fire caused an estimated $5 million in damages to the building.