Officials pursuing cause of Streamwood townhouse fire

Streamwood fire officials are still trying to determine what caused a fire in a townhouse complex in the 1700 block of McKool Avenue Thursday afternoon.

Dep. Chief Mark Hudson of the Streamwood Fire Department said an emergency call came in saying fire was showing inside the interior units of the four-unit townhouse complex at 2:45 p.m.

Firefighters arriving on the scene saw heavy fire on the outside of the townhouse and immediately extinguished it, Hudson said. He said firefighters then entered the units and chased the fire through the walls and attic trying to extinguish the flames.

"We had to do extensive overhaul inside the buildings because the fire got into an electrical meter and caused us some problems," he said. "ComEd was called in to shut off power, then we were able to knock it down completely."

He said one firefighter was injured while fighting the blaze, but he was treated and released from a nearby hospital.

He added there were no injuries to occupants or bystanders.

Hudson said the two middle units of the complex were declared uninhabitable, while the exterior units only received minor smoke damage. The cost of damage was undetermined as of Friday morning, he said.

He said volunteers from the Red Cross was called in to help out with displaced residents.

Hudson said fire fighters from Hanover Park, Bartlett, Hoffman Estates, Roselle and East Dundee were called in to assist with the blaze.