No injuries in second Rolling Meadows condo fire

Authorities are investigating what triggered a blaze Monday morning at a Rolling Meadows condominium complex that broke out within blocks of another major apartment building fire that occurred just over two weeks ago.

No injuries were reported from Monday's fire that started in a third-floor unit in the 5200 block of Carriageway Drive off Algonquin Road east of Route 53, Rolling Meadows Deputy Police Chief Dave Scanlan said. He said there was no early indication of a cause or origin of the fire.

Scanlan said the well-choreographed, smooth response to Monday's fire from at least seven suburban fire departments and other agencies was similar to May 7, when flames consumed most of a three-story building at the 12 Oaks apartment complex west of Algonquin Road and Route 53. Investigators have been trying to determine a cause of the 12 Oaks fire.

Christina Schupple, 26, was among the scores of Carriageway Court condo residents who were evacuated Memorial Day from the 87-unit structure that caught fire. She said she was grilling a turkey breast on her range and initially believed her meal was the source of the problem when fire alarms began sounding.

"I just got back from the gym," Schupple said "I was making lunch. To be honest with you, I thought it was me."

Schupple said she went into a hallway and turned a corner when she noticed smoke coming four units down from her home. She departed the building, but went back to rescue her cat, Jasmine, and placed the animal in a crate before exiting safely a second time.

Richard Riboul, another resident of the building, said he was asleep until firefighters arrived to evacuate him. His unit is on the opposite end from where the blaze ignited.

Scanlan said firefighters were summoned to the 5200 Carriageway building at 11:15 a.m. He said the resident of the unit where the fire started reported flames in the ceiling and smoke in the building.

"Almost everyone was evacuated by the fire alarm," said Scanlan.

Firefighters had the blaze under control by midafternoon. Scanlan said the flames wound up going into a fourth-floor area used for storage by condo residents.

Ignacio Camacho, 15, who lives at the 5300 building next to the structure where the fire occurred, said alarms woke him about 11:30 a.m. He went outside and found thick, billowing smoke that led him to cover his mouth with his shirt.

"It looked like a thunder cloud to me," Camacho said.

Authorities said the residents in the affected condo building were expected to seek shelter elsewhere Monday evening. The American Red Cross was on the scene.

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