Pheasant Run fire investigation could take weeks. Here’s what’s destroyed inside

St. Charles fire officials say it could take weeks to determine the cause of a weekend fire that destroyed large parts of the shuttered Pheasant Run Resort.

Police and fire officials are working with the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a news release from the city of St. Charles. A spokesman with the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office said the representatives were on the scene Monday.

The fire at the former Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., broke out Saturday afternoon, sending huge plumes of smoke into the sky surrounding the closed resort and drawing dozens of onlookers who stood along nearby roads to take in the scene.

The fire destroyed the main lobby, Bourbon Street, and the A, B, and E wings of hotel rooms, according to a news release issued Monday afternoon. The fire was extinguished Sunday, but one fire unit from the St. Charles Fire Department remains on scene to control some remaining hot spots.

No firefighters or civilians were injured in the fire, and there was no evidence anyone had been living on the closed property before Saturday’s fire, officials said.

“Many questions are unanswered at the moment, but we will provide answers as they become available,” Deputy Chief Erik Mahan said in an email Sunday.

Fire officials could not be reached for comment Monday.

St. Charles firefighters battled Saturday’s blaze with help from more than 20 area fire departments. The St. Charles police, Emergency Management Agency, public works, electric and water departments, as well as the West Chicago Water Department and Kane County Office of Emergency Management also assisted.

The 18-acre resort has been closed since March 2020 after attempts to auction off the property failed.

The adjacent golf course is slated for industrial development. McGrath Honda is redeveloping the Pheasant Run Mega Center adjacent to the resort property. As of yet, there are no proposals to redevelop the resort property.