Bensenville firefighter injured in blaze

One firefighter was injured and a dog was saved in an apartment fire in Bensenville that displaced 20 people.

Bensenville Fire Chief Michael Spain said Monday the cause of Sunday afternoon's blaze at the Royal Grove Apartments on the 1100 block of Grove Avenue is still under investigation, but it does not appear suspicious.

Firefighters responded about 4 p.m. Sunday and reported heavy, black smoke pouring out of a second-floor apartment, Spain said. The complex is made up of 34 units on three floors.

When the firefighters entered the building, a firefighter handling the nozzle of one hose was scalded by the intense heat. He was treated at the scene for face and hand burns, Spain said.

The fire was contained to the one unit, but five other apartments sustained smoke and water damage, Spain said. Red Cross officials have found temporary residences for those displaced by the fire.

Spain said the four residents of the burned unit were at the grocery store when the fire began and said they did not leave anything burning in the apartment when they left 20 minutes beforehand. The fire began in the living room, the chief said.

Firefighters were also able to save a Chihuahua that was trapped in the fire.

"The little dog was able to huddle underneath something," Spain said. "One of the guys had to give it, what do they call it, mouth-to-snout."

It took about 25 minutes for the 45 firefighters from 10 departments to completely extinguish the blaze, Spain said. Firefighters were on scene for another two hours wrapping up the investigation and checking for hot spots.

Spain added that the fire should be a reminder to everyone to make sure their smoke detectors are working and have fresh batteries if necessary. The apartment unit where the fire began was outfitted with smoke detectors, but they were not operational, the chief said. The lack of warning gave the fire a longer time to burn before anyone noticed anything was wrong, he said.