A fire broke out early Sunday morning at the vacant Balmoral Park racetrack in Crete, Illinois, sending smoke over several south Chicago suburbs. Flames rapidly consumed structures on the old racetrack grounds, prompting fire departments from multiple suburbs and Northwest Indiana to respond. Balmoral Park, originally opened in 1926 as Lincoln Fields, had a long history hosting thoroughbred and harness races before closing in 2015.

The racetrack had experienced previous fires, including one in 1952 that damaged the grandstand and forced races to move temporarily, and another in 1985 at a nearby track that led Balmoral to host additional races. After closing, the property was briefly used for hunter-jumper horse shows but has remained vacant for several years until the recent fire.