Residents on balconies helped to safety amid Schaumburg condo fire; no injuries

No injuries were reported after a fire Friday night at the Bar Harbour Condominiums in Schaumburg.

The fire at 101 Bar Harbour Road was first reported around 9 p.m., Schaumburg Deputy Fire Chief Dan Johnson said, on the fourth floor of a six-story building.

The first firefighters arriving on the scene began a coordinated attack and a search of the building, he said.

"We had some residents on balconies that needed to be helped to safety," he said.

The fire was brought under control around 9:25 p.m., after which firefighters ventilated and conducted salvage and overhaul operations.

"This was a difficult fire building, because it's a multilevel, six-story building. So it's not a standard fire attack," Johnson said. "We actually have to use the building standpipe system to get water. That's a little bit more of a difficult operation, but the fire companies did a great job. They got water quick."

The entire fourth floor was evacuated, he said, estimating 30 or 40 people live on it.

Some of the evacuees were in a nearby garage, while others waited in a clubhouse. Some were evaluated for injuries, but no one was taken to the hospital.

Johnson said two families would likely be displaced, and two to four units would be uninhabitable.

Responding companies included 12 from Schaumburg and 12-15 from neighboring communities, including Bloomingdale, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Streamwood, Carol Stream and Roselle.

Johnson said the fire department had no estimates of damage late Friday, and the fire remains under investigation.

Among those evacuated was Mindy Rusanov, a fifth-floor resident who said she initially suspected a false alarm, since there had been one recently.

"But then I looked through the window and I saw a police car blocking the garage and then I saw six police cars, and I figure it's quite different than last time," she said. "And there were so many fire trucks coming. So we got down right away," she said.