Mount Prospect families displaced by condo fire allowed to home

The 15 families displaced by Thursday's fire at a Mount Prospect condominium building began returning home Friday after fire officials made sure the building's sprinkler, fire alarm, heating and electrical systems are working, a top fire official said.

“Our building department was out here just to make sure that all those components were up,” Mount Prospect Fire Chief John Malcolm said Friday afternoon.

The fire at the Kenilworth House Condominiums, 1255 W. Prospect Ave., was confined to a single apartment on the top floor of the three-story building. Yet, the rest of the 27-unit building sustained moderate smoke and water damage, making it unlivable for the night.

Fire officials blamed an unattended candle for igniting the blaze.

Residents were allowed back into their homes temporarily Thursday night to pick up a few belongings and insurance papers. Most of the displaced families were able to stay with friends or family members in the area and two families were assisted by the Red Cross, Malcolm said.

On Friday, fire officials inspected the common areas and hallways of the building. While the apartment where the fire started was severely damaged and remains uninhabitable, the rest of the condominiums are intact, Malcolm said.

Crews are still cleaning up drywall and replacing carpeting damaged by water, and have dehumidifiers running in the building to suck away moisture in the air, Malcolm said.

“Now, it's a lot of cosmetic (work),” Malcolm said. “We'll continue to follow up and make sure the rest of it is getting done.”

Two residents of the building — an elderly woman and another younger woman in whose unit the fire started — were taken Thursday to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights and treated for smoke inhalation. They have since been released, Malcolm said.