SYCAMORE — Sycamore Fire Chief Bart Gilmore told the Sycamore City Council on Monday that limited staffing affected the department’s response to the fire at Tom and Jerry’s restaurant early Saturday. He said an ambulance call came in shortly before the fire was reported, reducing available personnel. Gilmore explained, “10 minutes before the fire was detected, an ambulance call came into our station 2, that takes that station out.
All 3 people go on the ambulance.” Fire crews relied on mutual aid from neighboring communities while battling heavy smoke, high heat, structural concerns and extreme cold at the DeKalb Avenue restaurant. Damage is estimated to exceed $1.5 million, and the cause remains under investigation. One firefighter was taken to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital with minor injuries. Gilmore said staffing levels remain a concern, adding, “Sycamore is running very minimally, and it creates a hazard not just to the firefighters, but it hampers our ability to serve the citizens.”
