The cause of the Boiler Shop fire is unknown at this time and no occupants were found in the burning structure. According to a release from the Kewanee Fire Department, the fire department was dispatched to the structure fire at 6:10 PM on Saturday night. Firefighters witnessed flames coming from all the second-story windows along the same side of the structure upon arrival. Firefighters performed a primary search of the building and found no occupants. Incident command later determined that the building was not structurally sound and that it was not safe to send any fire personnel inside the building, due to a possible collapse zone of the structure. Thirteen Kewanee Firefighters helped extinguish the fire, including eight who were off-duty at the time of the fire. A total of 24 first responders were on scene. Firefighters battled the fire for six hours and twenty-five minutes. The Kewanee Fire Department was assisted by the Kewanee Community Fire District, Annawan Fire Department, Geneseo Fire Department, Officer of Emergency Management, Kewanee Police Department and Kewanee Public Works.
