Six-alarm blaze ravages West Chicago apartment complex

Firefighters are investigating a six-alarm blaze early Monday that displaced more than 100 residents from a West Chicago apartment building.

Crews from more than 20 departments responded about 2:20 a.m. as flames tore through the 24-unit building at Aspen Ridge Apartments on the 500 block of Carriage Drive. No residents were hurt, officials said, but one firefighter was treated for a slight injury.

Although firefighters initially speculated the blaze started at an unattended grill, they later ruled out that possibility, Deputy Fire Chief Robert Hodge said.

Hodge said investigators now believe the fire began in a first-floor unit before rapidly spreading to the opposite, third-floor corner and engulfing the building's mansard roof.

At least five people became trapped on their balconies and were brought to safety down a ladder. Intense fire also forced a team of firefighters to flee through a second-floor window.

“It could have very well been a fatal fire if we didn't get the people out in a hurry,” Hodge said. “It was in the walls, the floors, the ceilings.”

Jose Mejia, 40, said he woke when his girlfriend opened a window in their first-floor unit and smelled smoke. She then ran through the building to warn others, he said.

“She was just screaming for everybody to wake up,” Mejia said at the scene. “She was trying to get everybody out.”

Mejia and two other residents said they did not hear smoke alarms activate inside the building at 515 Carriage Drive. But firefighters said it's possible the alarms didn't sound because they were separated from the blaze by interior firewalls.

An Aspen Ridge representative declined to comment at the scene, and a subsequent message left with the property manager's office wasn't immediately returned.

Families displaced by the fire spent much of the morning huddling with children under blankets and sleeping bags inside the Aspen Ridge clubhouse, which was without power.

They later were bused to nearby Community High School in West Chicago for food, clothing and temporary shelter.

American Red Cross volunteer Christine Heim said more than 50 victims, including 30 children, were expected at the site, which could stay open for two or three days depending on need.

She said mental health services also were offered to families coping with the loss of their homes and possessions.

The shelter is “going to be open as long as people come in,” she said. “We're working with families on an individual basis.”

Shannon Swartz, 25, was among those trying to sort out where she and her cat, Kitters, will be staying.

Swartz, who was awakened and evacuated by firefighters, said her unit in an adjoining building escaped fire but may have extensive smoke damage.

“You could see the flames from the side of the building,” Swartz said. “I'm a deep sleeper, so I was glad I woke up. I was freaked out.”

For several hours after the fire, residents stopped and watched as charred shingles fell from the building and their belongings were dug out through broken windows.

Damage was so extensive on the northeast corner of the building that a child's crib was visible through a gaping hole.

Hodge said crews knocked down the fire in about three hours while working in intense heat just as a line of thunderstorms was about to roll in.

“I'm very, very thankful we were able to not only get people out, but we didn't get injured either,” he said. “Our guys did a great job.”

He said the fire's cause was still under investigation Monday afternoon, but did not appear suspicious in nature.

To donate to Red Cross relief efforts, go to www.chicagoredcross.org or call (800) RED-CROSS.