Kitchen fire in DeKalb apartment displaces several people; puppy rescued

The DeKalb Fire Department responded to a report of an activated fire alarm in the 800 block of Edgebrook Drive Thursday morning.

A citywide alert was put out by the DeKalb Police Department directing traffic to avoid the area around 10:08 a.m. Thursday.

Upon investigation of the scene, authorities found smoke coming from the building, which they determined came from a kitchen fire.

“All fire stations responded,” Acting Fire Chief Luke Howieson said. “We were able to get here quickly, get inside, put out the fire in the kitchen area.”

Howieson said the cause of the fire is tied to cooking.

It remains unclear how much damage was sustained to the apartment where the fire originated.

Howieson said the amount of damage was minimal.

“We’re actually training on a new ladder truck, so we had a lot of units close by,” Howieson said. “The new ladder truck arrived to the scene.”

Howieson said everyone was evaluated from the building.

“We were able to locate a puppy in the building, which is okay,” Howieson said. “All the occupants are out. They’re safe.”

Howieson said a handful of residents have been temporarily displaced due to the fire.

“We’re going to work with the property owners to get the building back in shape,” Howieson said. “All the other occupants are back in their apartments, with the exception of the fire apartment at the moment. They’ll work to get them back in pretty quickly.”