CHICAGO — Authorities have charged a Schiller Park man with two counts of arson for allegedly setting propane tanks on fire, causing damage to a restaurant and event venue adjacent to Lincoln Park Zoo. Officials said a Chicago Fire Department firefighter suffered a shoulder injury while fighting the blaze.
Stephen Habel, 46, was also hospitalized after being found at the fire scene, although his arrest report said he was “unharmed.” Investigators arrested him when he was discharged from Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center this week.
Firefighters responded to Cafe Brauer, 2221 North Stockton, around 4:20 a.m. on November 22 to fight a fire that began in an outdoor storage area adjacent to the zoo, the report said.
After the fire was out, investigators found about 40 propane tanks of varying sizes in the storage area. According to the report, Habel “tested” the tanks by turning gas valves on and then lit a cigarette, which ignited the gas.
The report stated that prolonged exposure to fire caused some tank valves to partially melt and fail, releasing “large volumes” of gas and causing “explosion like events” that were visible from a distance.
First responders found Habel inside the storage area “unharmed but soaking wet due to firefighting activities,” according to the report. News footage from the morning of the fire appeared to show minimal damage to the Cafe Brauer structure, but Judge Robert Kuzas said the blaze caused a $100,000 loss
The judge detained Habel to await trial on charges of arson causing injury to a firefighter and arson. In his detention order, Kuzas wrote that Habel “would not listen to the court or even allow [Kuzas] to speak as he continuously ranted at the court. Accordingly, where [Habel] would not listen to the court, it is clear he cannot be trusted to follow court orders or conditions” for release.
Shortly after the fire, the Lincoln Park Zoo issued a statement, saying no animals were harmed and the fire did not reach the zoo’s gates or the nearby Farm at the Zoo.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
