Eight DeKalb residents displaced after weekend apartment fire

DeKALB – Eight DeKalb residents are without a home after an apartment fire in a North Sixth Street duplex left two apartments uninhabitable, DeKalb fire officials said.

DeKalb firefighters were called to the 500 block of North Sixth Street about 2:50 p.m. Saturday for reports of a structure fire, according to a news release from the DeKalb Fire Department.

When crews arrived, they saw no indications of a fire from the outside but said residents already had begun evacuating the two-level apartment building.

When additional crews arrived, DeKalb firefighters reported they could see smoke coming from the back of the building. Crews went inside and saw heavy smoke in a second story apartment unit, according to the release.

Firefighters began fighting the flames from the inside, and an engine truck was used to help ventilate the building and search for any residents that still were inside. None were found, according to the release.

Crews reportedly got the fire under control in about 15 minutes but remained on the scene for 90 minutes.

No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported, according to the department.

The fire remains under investigation. No source for the blaze has been announced, according to the release.

Investigators believe the fire was accidental in nature and caused about $45,000 worth of damage, according to the department.

The unit upstairs where the fire was located and the unit below it were deemed uninhabitable. The eight displaced residents were assisted by The American Red Cross.

DeKalb police, the Red Cross, Nicor and ComEd utility companies also responded to the fire.