Fire's cause likely electrical

Schaumburg firefighters believe the cause of Wednesday morning's apartment fire was an electrical malfunction but still hope to narrow it down to a particular device.

Twelve units at 1221 Crabtree Lane in the Legend Park Apartments remained uninhabitable Thursday, though the restoration of utilities would make six of them habitable almost immediately, Schaumburg Deputy Fire Chief William Spencer said.

No one was injured in the fire. Damage is estimated at $500,000.

Some of the displaced residents, including a few schoolchildren, spent at least one night in the apartment complex clubhouse, property manager Deanna Stein said.

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 spokesman Tom Petersen said four Conant High School students remained displaced Thursday.

The school has already begun raising money for those students and is asking the public to drop off gift cards as part of the Cougars in Need Fund, Petersen said. Call Conant at (847) 755-3600 for information on how to donate.

Additionally, the Red Cross remains onsite to assist and feed these displaced residents, Stein said.

Spencer said the fire appeared to have started in a first-floor unit. The 12 affected units make up the center section of the 32-unit building. Though the entire building was initially evacuated, residents of the side sections have returned, Stein said.

A fire in a different section of the same building started almost exactly 12 years ago, on Jan. 31, 1996, former resident Bridget Duren of Roselle said. The cause of that blaze was a boiler.

• Daily Herald staff writer Ashok Selvam contributed to this report.