Fire Sparks Inside Wall Of Orland Park Restaurant: Fire Officials

ORLAND PARK, IL — No one was injured when a fire ignited inside the walls of an Orland Park restaurant Monday evening.

Orland Park firefighters were called to Al Bahaar restaurant, 39 Orland Square Dr., for a fire alarm. The restaurant's owners believed the alarm had malfunctioned; firefighters resetting the alarm detected a burning smell, fire officials said Tuesday.

"What we found was a fire that was inside the wall of the restaurant," said Fire Chief Michael Schofield.

"The danger of a fire inside a wall is that it climbs up inside the wall above the sprinkler system and can do far more damage."

The fire response was then upgraded, bringing in additional resources from Orland Fire, Palos Heights, Palos Park, Tinley Park and other surrounding fire districts and departments.

Firefighters moved quickly to open the wall, exposing heavy smoke and flames which were rapidly extinguished, preventing the fire from spreading further and causing more damage.

"The diligence of the initial fire company should be commended, given that their actions saved a potential total loss by locating a hidden fire within a wall that could have spread to the unprotected attic area and destroyed this building or caused harm to patrons and employees," Schofield said.