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31 Displaced In McHenry Apartment Building Fire

MCHENRY, Ill. (STMW) -- At least 31 people were in need of shelter Sunday morning after a fire broke out at a northwest suburban McHenry apartment building.

Firefighters responded to the blaze about 11:35 a.m. at the three-story building housing 40 apartment units at 3308 W. Elm St. in McHenry, according to a news release from the McHenry Township Fire Protection District.

The entire building was rendered uninhabitable, fire officials said. Called the Riverside Hotel, it was also home to the Fox Hole Tap & Pizzeria.

No one was injured in the fire, but 31 people were displaced and the McHenry County Housing Authority and the American Red Cross were called the scene for housing assistance, fire officials said. People sought shelter in a local school bus at the scene while firefighters battled the blaze.

The fire started in a three-room unit on the second floor of the building, fire officials said. It was contained to that room and extinguished within 19 minutes.

But there was smoke damage throughout the entire building and an office located on the first floor directly underneath the fire, and also the Fox Hole restaurant in the basement, had significant water damage, fire officials said.

The cause of the fire was unknown Sunday night as fire officials and the McHenry Police Department investigated.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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