Three DeKalb residents displaced after apartment kitchen fire causes $25K in damages

DeKALB – Three DeKalb residents are without a home after a weekend kitchen fire in their apartment caused an estimated $25,000 worth of damage, fire officials said.

DeKalb fire crews were called to the 800 block of West Taylor Street around 6:15 p.m. Saturday for reports of a structure fire, according to a news release from the DeKalb Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived, crews saw no signs of a fire from the outside of the building, and saw that an evacuation was already in progress. When crews entered the building, they saw heavy smoke coming from one of the apartments, the release states.

Responding crews also ventilated the building and searched for any more occupants on other floors inside the apartment complex.

DeKalb fire investigators determined the fire was caused by an accidental cooking fire inside the kitchen, the release states.

No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported. Flames were under control in about 10 minutes, officials said, though crews remained on the scene for about 90 minutes.

The damages have made the apartment uninhabitable, the report states, displacing three residents.

Crews from the Sycamore Fire Department and the DeKalb Police Department assisted.