Update, 9 p.m.:

Firefighters were ending work Sunday night following hours of responding to a fire at an Evanston towing company on Oakton Street, officials said.

Cleanup at the scene of the fire at North Shore Towing, 2527 Oakton St., was “ending shortly” as of about 8 p.m. on Sunday night, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said in an email to Evanston media.

The Evanston fire department was finishing its operations and responding units from surrounding areas had been released, he said.

Update, 7 p.m.:

Firefighters continued to put out small fires among piles of damaged cars at an Evanston towing company as of about 6:30 p.m. Sunday night, officials said.

The Evanston fire department was notified of the initial fire at North Shore Towing, 2527 Oakton St., by a passerby, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said in an email Sunday night to Evanston media. No employees were at the store at the time of the fire, he said.

ComEd reported more than 720 power outages in Skokie and more than 50 power outages in Evanston due to the fire, Bobkiewicz said.

The cause of the fire has still not been identified and will be difficult to determine given the large amount of damaged vehicles, he said.

Firefighters from Skokie, Wilmette, Winnetka, Niles, Park Ridge and Northfield also responded to the fire.

Original story:

A fire broke out on Oakton Street in Evanston on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

The Evanston fire department, as well as fire agencies from the surrounding areas, responded to a fire at North Shore Towing, 2527 Oakton Street, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said Sunday in an email to Evanston media.

Several cars caught fire, but no buildings were damaged, he said. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, he said.

Officials have closed Oakton Street between Dodge Avenue and McCormick Boulevard to public traffic due to the fire, according to the Evanston Police Department.

Firefighters have the fire under control and no injuries have been reported, Bobkiewicz said. Fire units were still on the scene as of about 4 p.m. Sunday.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @paigeleskin

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @beccasavransky