Rantoul, IL (Chambana Today) – More than 20 firefighting units from across Central Illinois responded to a large fire Tuesday night at the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul. The 3-alarm call went out at 7:30 p.m., prompting crews from Rantoul, Champaign, Paxton, Ludlow, Thomasboro, Gifford, and Sangamon Valley to the scene.
The blaze broke out in a long-abandoned building that once served as a hospital on the base, which has sat vacant since the 1990s. Rich Carr, Assistant Fire Chief for Rantoul, said firefighters found several burning mattresses inside the structure.
Crews spent about four hours extinguishing the fire. No injuries were reported, and the cause remains under investigation.