Fire damages apartment in Mt. Prospect

A Tuesday fire has displaced residents of a Mount Prospect apartment building.

Mount Prospect Fire Chief Michael Figolah said the cause of the fire at 1001 Cottonwood Lane is undetermined but property damage could total $250,000.

The building does not have sprinklers, but there were not injuries because most residents were not home, officials said.

"We know that the fire started in the bedroom of the third-floor (apartment) of one of the tenants," Figolah said. "Nobody was home, so it wasn't until the fire was blowing out the windows on the third floor that we finally got called on it."

"The fire had pretty well progressed through that entire unit and up into the attic space of the roof by the time we got there."

The building, three stories tall counting the garden level apartments -- has 12 units, of which 11 were occupied.

It remains to be seen when residents will be able to return.

"All of them are being displaced," said Jan Abernethy of Mount Prospect's Human Services Department, which was on the scene with Red Cross workers helping to resolve lodging and other issues.

Figolah said the fire department got called around 10 a.m. and by 10:30 a.m. the fire was under control.

Among the departments assisting were Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Prospect Heights, North Maine, Elk Grove Township, Elk Grove Village, Palatine, Palatine Rural, Wood Dale and Hoffman Estates.

Figolah said the fire was contained to one apartment and the roof. He was optimistic residents will be able to return in two-three weeks.

A cat and a dog were rescued, Figolah added.