From the McHenry Township Fire Protection District:
Firefighters Quickly Contain Commercial Structure Fire
at Thornton’s in McHenry
McHenry, IL – At approximately 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, 2026, the McHenry Township Fire Protection District was
dispatched to a reported structure fire at the Thornton’s gas station and convenience store located at the intersection of Chapel Hill Road and Route 120.
First-arriving companies reported light smoke showing from the building and immediately initiated an investigation and routine fire attack operations, crews discovered heavy fire and smoke conditions concealed within the building’s façade, which were
contributing to significant smoke conditions throughout the interior of the structure.
Firefighters initiated an aggressive fire attack while simultaneously conducting vertical ventilation operations on the roof.
Due to the coordinated efforts of responding personnel, crews were able to quickly locate, contain, and bring the fire under control within approximately 20 minutes.
Given the extreme weather conditions and elevated temperatures, multiple neighboring fire departments were requested to assist at the scene and provide station coverage throughout the district.
There were no civilian injuries reported because of the incident.
One McHenry Township Fire Protection District firefighter was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment of possible heat exhaustion.
Thornton’s location will remain closed until further notice.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
