Sprinkler system puts out Glendale Hts. fire

An apartment sprinkler system extinguished a cooking fire Thursday afternoon in Glendale Heights and likely helped save two dogs, authorities said.

Firefighters were called to a three-story apartment building on the 1800 block of Somerset Drive at 3:05 p.m. and found that the in-unit sprinkler system effectively put out the fire, according to Batallion Chief Richard Kurka of the Bloomingdale Fire Protection District.

The homeowner was not there at the time of the fire. Kurka said her two dogs likely would have suffered from smoke inhalation had there not been sprinklers in the apartment.

No injuries were reported.

The apartment sustained water damage due to the sprinklers, and will likely be uninhabitable for a few days, Kurka said.

Two other apartments below also sustained water damage; they were unable to be occupied Thursday night, but they probably will be on Friday after they dry out and the electrical systems are checked, Kurka said.

Fire departments from Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glenside, Itasca, Roselle and Wheaton assisted in the response. Crews left the scene at 5:30 p.m.