Thick, black smoke hovered over downtown Gilman (Wednesday) when fire consumed a former lumberyard building.

Elementary school children were evacuated from a couple blocks away and nearby businesses were evacuated.

The fire...which broke out around 2:30 pm...brought firefighters from several neighboring departments,
including Crescent City, Danforth, Onarga, Milford, Watseka, Chebanse, Piper City, Buckley, Loda, and Piper City and Paxton to name a few.

Gilman Police assisted in controlling traffic and bystanders around the fire scene at the corner of North Central and 2nd Streets. The lumberyard building is at 114 W. Second Street.

At least one person living in the building evacuated safely. Other citizens were also evacuated. The old building was destroyed. Two neighboring structures also sustained smoke and water damage.

Strong southwest winds at more than 25 mph fueled the flames.

A natural gas leak was allowed to burn to prevent other environmental problems. Threatening weather late-afternoon into the evening also caused safety concerns for emergency responders.

For safety reasons, Gilman elementary students were evacuated to the high school. There have been no reports of injury.

94.1 WGFA