Updated: Lincoln Park furniture store catches fire, causes CTA delays

Roy's Furniture, located at 2455 N. Sheffield Ave., caught fire around 3 p.m. today (Tuesday). The Chicago Fire Department is fighting the fire and determining how it occurred.  DePaul University's Public Safety was informed of the incident around 3:20 p.m. after one of the escorts drove by the fire.

"I've been out here for only 10 minutes, but I've heard sirens for over an hour," Dan Mulka a freshman business major said.

Authorities cut off all traffic heading on Sheffield Avenue from the corner of Fullerton Avenue to West Wrightwood Avenue. West Montana Street was also shut down from North Seminary Avenue to North Lincoln Avenue. 

At 4:40 p.m., DePaul students received an email from Public Safety stating that there would be service delays on the CTA's Red, Brown and Purple rail lines between the Belmont and Armitage stops. Since the authorities arrived at the scene they have been redirecting pedestrians around the block and assisting with traffic.

Christine Konicki, 29, left Uptown around 4:30 p.m. for DePaul Cru's bible study, but was not able to arrive to DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus until 5:15 p.m.

"It was frustrating, but I obviously couldn't do anything about it," Konicki said.

Rachel Bokina, a freshman, walked by Roy's Furniture at 3:30 p.m. when a car exploded, but the building was already on fire. None of the Police or Fire Department was there at the time.

"I live in Seton [Hall], and a friend and I decided to walk past the fire… a car exploded when we arrived," Bokina said.

Authorities still have not informed the public of the cause of the fire.

Updated:

More than 100 firefighters worked to put out the fire. According to a CBS2 Chicago report, the majority of the fire was put out at around 6:30 p.m. Though it was under control by 8 p.m., smaller fires on the inside of the building continued to burn and firefighters remained on the scene.

As of 8 p.m. CTA Red, Brown, and Purple service was restored, but some trains continued to run behind schedule.

A Fox Chicago report stated that a spokesperson from the Fire Department said the fire was caused by "the careless use of smoking materials."