It appears urban renewal is possible due to a devastating fire of two buildings on Riverside Drive
From the McHenry Fire Protection District:
On January 18, 2026, at approximately 12:07 p.m., the McHenry Township Fire Protection District (MTFPD)
was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 1309 N. Riverside Drive in McHenry.
Crews arrived within three minutes and encountered heavy smoke coming from the roof of the building.
Firefighters initiated an aggressive fire attack while simultaneously conducting a primary search to ensure all occupants had safely evacuated.
All occupants were confirmed to be out of the structure.
The fire extended to and impacted several adjoining businesses.
Fire suppression efforts were hampered by extreme cold, and the incident resulted in extensive damage to several businesses.
A Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was requested to the third alarm level, including interdivisional
assistance from neighboring counties in addition to a Box Alarm for fire investigators.
This response provided
additional resources to the scene and backfilled MTFPD stations.
MTFPD received on-scene support or station coverage from the Algonquin, Antioch, Bartlett, Carpentersville, Cary, Countryside, Crystal Lake, Elgin, Fox Lake, Grayslake, Hampshire, Hebron, Huntley, Lake Zurich, Lake Villa, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Mundelein, Nunda, Richmond, Round Lake, South Elgin, Spring Grove, Twin Lakes, Wauconda, West Dundee, Wonder Lake, and Woodstock fire departments.
The Salvation Army Canteen and warming buses from McHenry School District 15 assisted at the scene.
One civilian and one firefighter were transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital with minor
injuries.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and a damage estimate is not available at this time.
