Report: Crews battle large fire at former Balmoral Park

Firefighters from numerous departments were dispatched Sunday morning to a large fire at the former Balmoral Park racetrack in Crete Township, Illinois, about 30 miles south of Chicago.

Crews responded to the shuttered Will County track after flames were seen shooting from the roof of the track's grandstand, according to NBC 5 Chicago. Firefighters remained on the scene through Sunday morning as the blaze continued to burn.

Crete police warned residents to expect smoke and haze over the village of Crete and urged the public to avoid the area. Officers closed Route 1 between Crete-Monee Road and Elms Court Lane so that fire crews could move equipment and vehicles to and from the scene.

Police said the cause of the fire had not been determined and that firefighting efforts were ongoing.

Balmoral Park opened in 1926 and hosted harness racing for nearly nine decades before the track closed in 2015.