Smoke evacuates Crystal Lake nursing home

A Crystal Lake nursing home was evacuated late Tuesday afternoon when an overheated generator began filling the basement with black smoke, according to fire officials.

Firefighters responded to a report of a possible roof fire at the Fountains at Crystal Lake Health nursing home, 1000 Brighton Circle, and found black smoke coming from the roof of the building at 4:14 p.m., according to the Crystal Lake Fire Department.

At least 100 people inside the building were evacuated as firefighters searched for the source of the smoke, Crystal Lake Batallion Chief Robert Kohley said.

Crews found the cause of the smoke was coming from the generator room in the basement, shut the machine down and ventilated the basement, Kohley said.

“We did not see any evidence of a fire,” he said. “The building still had power, so we are not sure why the generator was running, but it overheated.”

It took crews about 20 minutes to find the smoke and ventilate the building before residents and staff could re-enter, according to the fire department.

Kohley said there was no damage to the building, and the smoke was contained to the basement.

There were no reported injuries during the incident, and the cause of the generator malfunction remained under investigation Tuesday night.