At least 30 displaced by Glen Ellyn apartment fire
Some displaced residents of a Glen Ellyn-area apartment building damaged by a fire early Tuesday might have to wait six to nine months before they can return.
No injuries were reported.
A structural engineer will inspect a wing of the building in Royal Glen Condominiums as early as today to determine the extent of damage caused by the blaze. One unit was destroyed and another suffered heavy damage, said Lombard Fire Department spokesman James Plunket.
Water and smoke damage, however, made all 30 units in the wing of the three-story building uninhabitable.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, although it did not appear to be set intentionally, Plunket said.
Lombard Fire Department at about 3 a.m. received a report of fire and heavy smoke on the third floor of the building on the 1100 block of Royal Glen Drive.
When firefighters arrived, Glen Ellyn police officers already were evacuating the building. Crews immediately called for a second alarm after confirming the blaze and heavy smoke. More than 20 fire departments assisted.
Authorities say it took about an hour to bring the fire under control.
"Two units are completely gutted and the entire wing where the fire occurred is in pretty bad shape," Lombard Battalion Chief Chuck Ralis said in a news release.
Between 30 and 40 residents were taken to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glen Ellyn, fire officials said. The Red Cross was called in to assist with the relocation of displaced residents.
Shevawn Weber's mother was evacuated by police in the early hours as her unit already had a significant amount of smoke in it. She lives on the west side of the building and the fire was located on the building's east side.
"It was just surreal," Weber said of the scene.
Weber said the fire department seemed to have things under control when she left about 5 a.m. Her mother was taken to an urgent care facility near the complex but was OK, she said.
Weber said she was impressed and appreciative of the fire departments' efforts.
"It was really admirable that they got that many people out so quickly," she said.