Amazon Warehouse (Brandon Road)

The Fire

The Joliet Fire Department responded at 3:28 p.m. on January 5 to a structure fire at a large Amazon warehouse at 4300 Brandon Road. Company 3 arrived to find the warehouse filled with smoke; the sprinkler system was activated. Firefighters located the fire deep inside the warehouse — beyond reach of initial attack lines — and faced zero visibility, a heavy fire load, and material falling from storage racks.

Fire crews from Stations 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 responded. Firefighters were on scene for approximately five hours. A crew remained overnight with the sprinkler system out of service to monitor for flare-ups.

Injuries

One firefighter was transported to the hospital with a shoulder injury.

Investigation

The cause of the fire is under investigation. No arson determination or labor/wage connection has been reported. Included here for completeness as a notable Amazon warehouse fire in early 2026.

Additional Context

This fire predates the April 2026 cluster of six warehouse fires by approximately three months. It is not considered part of that cluster or connected to the Kimberly-Clark Ontario arson.

There is a separate, unrelated In These Times investigation into a worker death at the Joliet Amazon facility (Brandon Road), where Amazon claimed the death was not work-related — contradicted by a 911 call. (See: In These Times — Amazon Says a Worker's Death Was Not Work-Related)