North Chicago fire destroys towing company and apartment building

A fire that started Sunday night in North Chicago overnight destroyed a towing company and an adjacent apartment building.

A resident of the apartment building, on the 1000 block of Sheridan Road, called 911 at 7:22 p.m. Sunday, reporting a smoke odor, according to North Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Dell Urban said.

The fire also damaged Collision Solution, an auto shop that shared a north wall with Unique Towing, Urban said.

No one was injured in the fire, but the towing company and apartments are a “complete loss,” Urban said. She said she had no information about the cause of the fire, which is still under investigation.

Firefighters wrapped up the fire at at 4 a.m.

Aurora city police warn about towing company

Aurora city police issued a warning Monday about A-1 Discount Towing, a towing company which has been the subject of controversy in the community for several years.

Police said the Illinois Commerce Commission has confirmed that Buckeye Towing, which did business as A-1 Discount Towing, should not be towing vehicles from private property without the permission of the vehicle owner or operator.

A-1 formerly held a relocating towing license through the ICC and had hundreds of contracts with various firms to tow vehicles illegally parked on private lots. Police said that anyone who has a vehicle towed from a lot that is marked with A-1 signage should not have to pay to get it back. Anyone finding themselves in this situation is urged to call Aurora police at 630-256-5000.

Police also are urging anyone who sees A-1 towing vehicles from private lots in the city to call police. A-1 Discount Towing created a stir in the community in 2007 when it towed dozens of cars from private businesses during downtown festivals sponsored by Aurora and Montgomery. Charges were even filed against A-1 employees.

At the time, Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner called the company’s aggressive tactics a “nemesis” to what Aurora was trying to accomplish at the fun family events.

Pat’s Towing: 400% More Tows in 2012 than 2011

The City's exclusive towing company is on pace to do 400% more tows in 2012 than they did in 2011. The controversial Pat's Towing that has been suspended by AAA, dropped by the State Police, has a standing grade of "F" from the Better Business Bureau, and is tied to a series of assaults, is now on pace to execute as many as 700 or more tows this year.

Pat's towing has been under fire over the past week after GoLocalWorcester received more than 80 complaints about the City's exclusive towing company. Beyond the criminal offenses tied to the firm, complaints about the company ranged from verbal abuse to reckless driving.

There is now a new twist to the controversy.

According to Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst, a spokesperson for the Worcester Police Department, the City's contracted towing company has racked up 181 police initiated tows in 2012 to date and 48 in just the first eight days of March alone. Police initiated tows are just a fraction of the number of tows conducted by the company.

The number of police initiated tows conducted in less than two-and-a-half months into 2012 have far exceeded the total number of tows executed in 2011. According to police records,there were 164 conducted throughout in 2011. Since Pat’s Towing signed a three-year contract with the City on December 10th, 2010, the company has towed a total of 349 vehicles.

Mandatory Reporting

The three-year contract with the City states that Pat’s Towing must submit a list weekly of all vehicles removed under Police or other authority. “The list shall indicate whether the vehicle is still in the contractor’s possession or whether it has been removed or otherwise disposed and be provided on the enclosed form,” states the contract.

The contract further states the list is to be submitted every Wednesday to the Police Records Bureau. A failure to submit the list is considered a material breach of the agreement.