Heater ignites fire on Little City in Palatine

An overheated vestibule heater is being blamed for a small fire that sent smoke billowing through a small building early Wednesday morning in the campus of the Little City Foundation in Palatine.

Firefighters from the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District responded to the scene in the 1700 block of Algonquin Road about 7:40 a.m. to find no flames, but plenty of smoke and about $2,000 in damage, fire Lt. John Thalman said.

The fire began, Thalman said, when a ceiling-mounted heater either overheated or froze up and started smoking.

“Some insulation got singed and wood beams got singed, but we didn't see any open fire,” he added.

The single-story residential building was unoccupied when the fire began, and no injuries were reported.

Palatine Rural was assisted at the scene by firefighters from the Palatine Fire Department and Barrington Fire Department, officials said.