Apartments uninhabitable after New Year’s Eve fire in Hebron

One apartment was significantly damaged and three others are uninhabitable until code enforcement can clear the building after a New Year’s Eve fire in Hebron, officials said.

The Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District was called about 5:10 p.m. Tuesday to 10112 Main St., Hebron, for the report of a fire. Crews arriving at the scene found heavy fire in one unit of a large residential structure that had been converted to four apartment units, according to a news release from fire Chief Thomas Linneman.

The fire was brought under control in about a half-hour, Linneman said, and damage – estimated at $75,000 – was limited to one unit. The building is uninhabitable until cleared by code enforcement, and there is likely smoke damage throughout, Linneman said.

Two of the four families living in the converted house were home at the time of the fire and evacuated safely, Linneman said, adding that no civilians or firefighters were injured in the blaze.

Crews remained at the scene until 8 p.m. monitoring for hot spots. Mutual aid was immediately provided by the Richmond, Wonder Lake, Spring Grove, Harvard and Woodstock fire districts, as well as by the fire district in the town of Linn, Wisconsin.

Because of the proximity to two eight-unit apartment buildings, additional crews from Cary and Capron in Illinois and Walworth, Bloomfield, Lake Geneva, Twin Lakes and Fontana in Wisconsin also responded, Linneman said. Crews from the McHenry Township Fire Protection District and Randall, Wisconsin, covered calls in Hebron during the fire.

The fire remains under investigation by the Hebron-Alden-Greenwood FPD with assistance from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, Linneman said. He said it appeared to be accidental. The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents.