Elk Grove Village house fire displaces 8 residents

Eight residents were displaced Sunday by a fire that destroyed their Elk Grove Village home, officials said.

Fire crews responded about 8:15 a.m. to a garage fire in the 500 block of Walnut Lane, Elk Grove Village Fire Battalion Chief Mark Percudani said. By the time firefighters arrived, he said, the fire had spread from the attached garage to the attic of the ranch house.

Two residents - a 29-year-old man and a 2-year-old boy - were taken to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village for potential smoke inhalation, Percudani said. They have since been released.

All other occupants got out the house safely by the time fire crews arrived, he said.

Boards that had been installed in the attic for storage purposes caused some difficulty for firefighters, Percudani said.

"We couldn't get to the attic very rapidly," he said.

He estimates the fire caused roughly $300,000 in damage.

Percudani said a space heater in the garage is the suspected cause of the fire, which is under investigation by Elk Grove Village fire and police officials.

The American Red Cross is assisting the eight displaced residents, some of whom were away at college, Percudani said.