Water damage displaces two Naperville families

A single water sprinkler struck out a fire before it could spread throughout a Naperville apartment complex Monday afternoon, but water damage ultimately left two families displaced.

The Naperville Fire Department responded to the call at 4:05 p.m. on the 1500 block of Watkins Lane.

Firefighters found a gas water heater had sparked a small fire in a utility closet in one unit of the 12-unit building.

A sprinkler system did its job by extinguishing the fire, said Naperville Capt. Tom Oker.

“They run until you get there and shut them off. You don’t shut them off until you know the fire is out,” Oker said.

Water from the sprinkler flooded the unit where the fire was started, as well as the unit below. Both were deemed uninhabitable.