Fire causes evacuation at Northbrook hotel

A fire Saturday morning in a mechanical room caused the evacuation of the Crowne Plaza Chicago-Northbrook, Prospect Heights fire officials said.

One person was taken to the hospital after the fire, which began at 6:37 a.m. No information was available Saturday on the person who was injured or the nature of the injury.

Prospect Heights fire crews were called to the scene when someone at the hotel, which is at 2875 Milwaukee Ave., noticed smoke on the top floor of the four-story building. They arrived at 6:41 a.m. and found smoke at one end of the hallway coming from a fire in a mechanical room, according to Prospect Heights Battalion Chief Alan Grzeslo.

Firefighters extinguished the fire about 10 minutes later and ventilated the hallway by opening doors and using fans, Grzeslo said.

Fire damage was contained to the mechanical room. The hotel staff said guests were able to re-enter the building about 45 minutes after the fire was noticed, and the hotel remains open.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but as far as hotel fires go, Grzeslo said the situation turned out “a lot better than it could have been.”

Fire personnel from Arlington Heights, Glenview, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Mount Prospect, Northbrook and Wheeling assisted with the response, bringing a total of 30 firefighters to the scene.