A teenager is charged after the vacant Boiler Shop Office building burned to the ground Saturday night. According to the Kewanee Police, the Kewanee Police Department began investigating reports from witnesses who saw a group of juveniles leaving the vicinity just before the fire was reported. A dash camera in a Kewanee Police Department vehicle captured the juveniles in the area of the Boiler Shop as officers arrived at the scene. Officers were able to locate and apprehend two juveniles connected to the fire after several hours of searching. A 15-year-old male was issued a juvenile referral for Criminal trespass to Property and a 16-year-old male juvenile was issued a juvenile referral for Criminal trespass to Property and Criminal Damage to Property by Means of fire. Both juveniles were released with juvenile referral forms for the Henry County Juvenile Probation Office.
The investigation is ongoing and remains an active investigation and additional charges or amended charges may happen as the investigation progresses. Anyone with pertinent information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Kewanee Police Department at 309-853-1911.
The Kewanee Police Department received a call around 6:08 PM for a structure fire in the 100 Block of Franklin Street. The Kewanee Fire Department requested mutual aid from surrounding fire departments and off-duty fire personnel were called in to assist. Dozens of firefighters battled the fires throughout the night and into Sunday morning. The fire appeared to be under control in the 9 PM hour; However, the fire quickly spread to the attached structures. Fire crews attacked the fire from all sides and train traffic was halted to allow fire crews to run water hoses across the train tracks. An excavator was requested to knock down the walls of the structure along the railroad tracks. Train traffic was resumed shortly before 1:30 AM on Sunday, November 5th. A smoking pile of rubble is all that remains of the old Boiler Shop office building on Sunday morning.
The arched entryway, which the Preservation Society hoped to save for the memorial site, didn’t survive the fire. Watch life feeds of the fire throughout the night on our Facebook page
The Kewanee Fire Department was assisted by the Kewanee Community Fire Department, Annawan Fire Department, Geneseo Fire Department, Kewanee Police Department, Office of Emergency Management and Kewanee Public Works
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