At least 10 evacuated in LITH fire

At least 10 people won’t be able to return home until Saturday or later after a fire early Friday morning damaged a Lake in the Hills apartment building.

The Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District was dispatched at 5:54 a.m. after a fire alarm was activated in the first floor hallway of a six-unit building at Elliot Apartments, 303 Pyott Road, said Battalion Chief John Knebl. No injuries were reported.

By the time firefighters arrived, the hallway was full of smoke but the sprinkler system had put out most of the fire, Knebl said. The origin of the fire is still under investigation.

The apartment complex has four buildings, but only one building was affected.

The building is currently uninhabitable because of water damage caused by the sprinkler system, he said. The electricity also was turned off temporarily.

The evacuated residents ranged in age from their 20s to their 70s, Knebl said. Some residents had already left for work, he added.

The Red Cross arrived around 7 a.m., and helped the displaced residents find shelter at a local hotel or with relatives, he said.

The apartment building’s manager was notified and crews will be working to restore the fire alarm and sprinkler system, and repair the water and smoke damage, Knebl said.

“I would think most of the apartments would be cleared by (Saturday),” he said.

The Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District received assistance from the Crystal Lake and Huntley fire departments, the Illinois State Fire Marshal and Lake in the Hills police.