UPDATES WITH DETAILS
(ELMHURST) A fire that burned for more than 12 hours destroyed a bridal shop in west suburban Elmhurst, and now the owners are scrambling to assure that all customer orders will be filled.
Elmhurst firefighters were called about 1:37 p.m. Thursday to a fire at VIP Occasions at 351 N. York St., according to a statement from the City of Elmhurst.
Flames were shooting out of the front and top of the building, and smoke billowed from the structure as firefighters battled the blaze, the statement said.
No injuries were reported as of late Thursday, but firefighters continued “containing and extinguishing the fire with visible flames in the roof area” into the evening.
Firefighters remained on the scene through the night soaking the structure and extinguishing hot spot fires, the village said.
The cause of the fire is unknown. As of Friday morning, the Elmhurst Fire and Police departments, along with the DuPage County Arson Task Force, were on the scene preparing to search the remains of the building to try to determine the cause and origin of the fire.
The city confirmed there were no reports of injuries and traffic has reopened on York Road.
On the bridal shop’s Facebook page, the owners, sisters Nicole Samardzija and Natalie Krstev, wrote: “Despite the devastating loss of our ‘baby,’ my sister and I are working tirelessly on behalf of our loyal customers.
“We are overwhelmed by the charred ruins of countless memories, despite the relentless & heroic efforts by teams of local firefighters. Miraculously no one was injured and for that we are grateful.”
They plan to set up a temporary shop at the former York Medical Center, located two doors down at 363 N. York Rd., they said.
They planned to spend Friday contacting designers “to ensure no special orders will be missed. Additionally any damaged/destroyed merchandise will be given top priority.”
Inquiries about purchases can be left at (630) 833-4696 or info@vipoccasions.com, and the owners said they will try to return all messages by the end of the day.
“We’re also compiling a list of the most generous, gracious bridal salon colleagues offering VIP, and all our customers, assistance,” the Facebook post said.