Nine people were displaced Friday in an extra-alarm fire that officials believe started in the utility room of a three-story apartment building in the 300 block of West Washington Street in suburban Oak Park.
The fire started about 1:20 a.m. in the utility room located in the building’s basement, said Kevin Fadden, the battalion chief for the Oak Park Fire Department.
Residents of the building, which has six units, got out of the building on their own. The building’s management secured temporary housing for the families. The Red Cross said nine people were displaced by the fire, WGN-TV reported.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, the incident was elevated to a three-alarm fire. Firefighters were concerned the flames could have shot up along the walls because of how the older building is structured, Fadden said. They also raised the incident because of the cold weather.
The fire spread to the first and second floor of the building. Firefighters were able control the blaze before it reached the third floor and the roof. It did not spread to any surrounding structures.
Fadden said there was a Mayday call after one of the first crews on the scene became disoriented on the second floor, but the firefighters were soon found.
One firefighter was treated at the scene for a minor injury caused by a fall inside the building, Fadden said. No one else was injured.
Surrounding departments assisted Oak Park firefighters. The blaze took about an hour and half to get under control.
Fire investigators are expected to go to the scene Friday morning to determine what sparked the fire, Fadden said.
WGN-TV contributed to this report.
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