Food cooking unattended believed to have sparked Elgin apartment fire

Food left cooking unattended on a stove is believed to have sparked a fire that rendered an Elgin apartment uninhabitable Saturday night, according to fire officials.

By the time firefighters made it inside the apartment unit at 443 Jefferson Ave. the stove, vent hood and upper cabinets were ablaze, according to the Elgin Fire Department. The fire crews extinguished the fire within five minutes, officials said.

No firefighters were injured, but one person was treated at the scene for burns suffered while attempting to extinguish the blaze.

The family of four was home when the fire started and had evacuated the building by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.

Although there were several smoke detectors in the residence, none had any batteries, according to the fire department.

"Working smoke detectors could have alerted the occupants to the fire sooner, and possibly prevented the injury and displacement that ensued," Elgin Fire Chief John Fahy said in a news release. Officials estimate the damage to the apartment to be about $10,000.

The family will have to live somewhere else until repairs to the apartment are made and utilities are restored.