One person injured in Kimberly Drive apartment fire in DeKalb

DeKALB – A third-floor stairway fire in a Kimberly Drive apartment building in DeKalb sent one resident to the hospital early Sunday.

According to a news release from the DeKalb Fire Department, crews were called about 2:30 a.m. Sunday to an apartment building in the 800 block of Kimberly Drive for a structure fire.

When firefighters arrived, no smoke or fire was showing. However, a person was found on the ground injured on the west side of the building. Another person needed rescuing near a third-story window on the west side of the building, according to the release.

Crews helped the resident at the window get out of the building through a different stairway, according to the release.

The injured resident was treated by DeKalb paramedics and then taken to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital. No firefighters reported injuries.

The fire was located on a third-floor north stairway, where crews reported high heat and low visibility because of significant smoke, according to the release.

Firefighters worked to extinguish the flames in about 15 minutes, and began ventilation of the building while searching for other residents. No other people were found inside, according to the release.

Damage to the apartment building was limited to the stairway and is estimated at about $10,000, according to the release. No residents needed to be relocated.

Crews remained on the scene for about four hours. Several surrounding fire departments assisted, including from Sycamore, Cortland, Burlington and Malta, along with DeKalb police.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the DeKalb Fire Department.