Hoffman Estates duplex damaged by late-night fire

Hoffman Estates firefighters are investigating a blaze that tore through a duplex late Friday night, rendering half of it uninhabitable.

The two families living in the structure were home at the time of the fire, which broke out about 10:30 p.m., Battalion Chief Mike Bosco said. No one was injured.

Bosco couldn't say specifically where the fire originated but said the flames largely were contained to one half of the duplex. The two sides of the building, on the 100 block of Grissom Lane, are separated by a masonry wall, Bosco said. The portion least affected by the fire still is inhabitable, he said.

Bosco said it appeared some residents may have tried to extinguish the blaze themselves before calling 911.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.