Three Dogs Perish In Naperville Apartment Fire
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (STMW) -- One person was slightly injured and three pet dogs died Wednesday afternoon in a fire that did an estimated $100,000 damage to an apartment complex on in west suburban Naperville.
Investigators are continuing to seek the cause of the blaze that heavily damaged Unit 101 of the complex at 1912 Carlsbad Circle, in the city's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Deputy Naperville Fire Department Chief Rick Sander said 25 firefighters and 10 pieces of apparatus were sent to the area about 2:25 p.m., following a 911 call that reported the blaze at the two-story, 18-unit complex.
The first firefighters "arrived within three minutes and reported heavy smoke and flames rolling out of (a) first-floor rear bedroom," Sander said in a prepared statement. Crew members hauled a fire hose through the front door of the burning apartment "and began a quick attack on the fire."
Sander said the blaze destroyed the bedroom, with the rest of the apartment sustaining extensive smoke damage. Flames at one point "lapped up the exterior siding of the building, causing the siding to melt," he said.
The fire was contained within 10 minutes, but crews remained on the scene for several hours, "checking for fire extension and ventilating adjacent apartments of smoke and carbon monoxide," Sander said.
The woman renting the apartment was not home at the time, Sander said. "Unfortunately, her three dogs succumbed to smoke inhalation."
No firefighters were hurt during the blaze, but Sander said an unidentified man or woman was treated at the scene for "minor medical issues" that did not require hospitalization.
An inspector from the city's Transportation, Engineering & Development Business Group deemed the apartment uninhabitable. Sander said the cause of the fire is undetermined and under investigation.
Firefighters were assisted during the emergency by Naperville police and firefighters from the Lisle-Woodridge, Plainfield and Warrenville fire protection districts. Sander said help also was provided by members of the city's animal control, building and public utilities/electric departments.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
