The Illinois Youth Center at Warrenville, a secure facility of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ), sustained significant fire damage to its main building yesterday afternoon. Several fire departments responded to the fire, which began in the kitchen. The building that was affected by the fire includes educational programming, health care, a dining room, recreational space, and administrative offices.
When the fire occurred, 34 youth and 55 staff were on the campus. All youth and staff were safely evacuated, and youth were transported to the Department's PEACE Center in St. Charles.