If you happen to see houses on fire on the south side of Interstate 90 just west of Randall Road this week, there’s no need to call the fire department.
Firefighters are using the four homes for training sessions that will allow them to practice their skills by creating emergency scenarios. The opportunity comes courtesy of Orozco Trucking Inc., which purchased the Mason Road properties and adjacent farmland as the location for its new headquarters and trucking terminal.
“This is the best kind of training we can do,” said Steve Hillgoth, chief of training for the Elgin Fire Department. “It provides real-time opportunities, which grow our decision-making skills and help us perfect our craft.”
The fire department is notified everytime a contractor obtains a demolition permit, which is how officials ended up contacting Orozco to see if the houses might be available for their exercises, said Dmitri Kachan, an attorney for Orozco.
“This allows the fire department to proactively contact the property owner to request permission to use the site for training purposes,” Kachan said.
Hillgoth said Elgin typically gets permission for such sessions from property owners a few times a year. Last year, one of them included the former D Hangout Bar & Grill on McLean Boulevard, which Elgin Community College purchased and planned to clear for its new Manufacturing and Technology Center.
“What makes (the Orozco property) unique is having four homes next to each other,” Hillgoth said.
An array of exercises were held two weeks ago and more had been scheduled the first three days of this week, officials said. In addition to firefighters from Elgin, crews from the South Elgin and Rutland Dundee fire protection districts and the West Dundee Fire Department were invited to participate.
All told, about 200 firefighters were expected to take part, Hillgoth said. Elgin police also were planning to do some training exercises at the houses next week.
On Monday morning, fire crews were using two of the homes to train for indoor fire scenarios, which included rescue situations using safety dummies. Pallets and straw were burned inside the buildings and safety lines put in place.
Hillgoth said the drills to be held Tuesday and Wednesday, weather permitting, would focus on battling fires outside the structures.
Orozco Trucking owner Kostiantyn Shaposhnykov, who is moving his company from Elk Grove Village to Elgin, was on the scene Monday with Kachan and a videographer and photographer, who were documenting the training sessions.
Kachan said Orozco officials are waiting for the city to issue its demolition permits before they can start construction. The Elgin City Council approved the company’s annexation request last year.
“The terminal will serve as the new headquarters for Orozco Trucking Inc.,” Kachan said. “It will include space for warehousing, truck maintenance, and office areas for our management and dispatch teams. Additionally, the site will feature extensive parking to accommodate all our vehicles, providing storage when they’re not on the road.”
If all goes as planned, the new location will be open sometime in January 2026, he said.
Being able to help the city in its training efforts is something the company was glad to do, Kachan said.
“This initiative not only supports the critical work of the Elgin Fire Department but also underscores Orozco Trucking’s commitment to fostering strong community ties,” he said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
