Elgin fire forces evacuation

Elgin firefighters evacuated about a dozen homes Thursday as they battled a fire in a building at Jefferson Avenue and McBride Street that contained several propane tanks.

Firefighters responded to a call at 6:13 p.m. when fire broke out in a portion of a vacant L-shaped building in an abandoned lumber yard on the east side of the Fox River.

No one was in the building at the time, and no one was injured, according to Elgin fire chief Greg Benson.

Benson said the homes were evacuated as a precaution when some of the propane tanks inside the building exploded and were releasing gas. Residents were allowed back into their homes about an hour later, after the fire was under control.

Benson said the cause of the fire is unknown and the fire is under investigation. No estimates of damage were available.