The lock on a knox box, and the box itself, was damaged Friday evening at a local business on the 2500 block of Oakton Street, according to Evanston Police Cmdr. Brian Henry.

Henry said the incident was not criminal in nature and that ”accidental damages” occurred when the Evanston Fire Department attempted to access the contents of the knox box.

The EFD responded to a call about smoke at the scene at about 7 p.m., where respondents attempted to open the box but broke their master key inside of the lock in the process.

Knox boxes are a safety measure used by EFD in order to gain access to a building and put out a fire.

The damages weren’t reported until Tuesday, the first time the owner had returned to the store since the incident.

Henry said the fire was just outside the building. No people or property were damaged in the incident that caused the smoke.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @emmayarger