Police, firefighters and paramedics from Crystal Lake responded about 6:15 p.m. Sunday, January 2, 2022 to an automatic alarm followed by a 9-1-1 call from the residents with a report of a condo fire in the block of 500 Darlington Lane in Crystal Lake.
Firefighters arrived within four minutes, and upon arrival discovered smoke showing from a 2-story, 8-unit building. Smoke appeared to be coming from the second floor, but firefighters discovered the fire in a first floor kitchen.
All occupants of the building evacuated before firefighters arrived, but one resident of the unit where the fire occurred suffered burns while attempting to extinguish the flames believed to fueled by cooking oil on the stove. The resident was transported to a nearby hospital, but information about the victim’s condition was not released.
A MABAS Division 5 Box Alarm #5-341 was activated at 6:27 p.m. Firefighters, paramedics, and command officers from Cary, McHenry, Nunda, and Woodstock were assigned to the scene. Firefighters and paramedics from Marengo stood by at a Crystal Lake fire station.
The fire was declared under control in about 30 minutes, but the condo unit was damaged from heat, flames, smoke and water.
All eight units were declared uninhabitable, and 14 residents were displaced. The American Red Cross and the property management company were assisting residents find temporary shelter Sunday night.
While the building was equipped with a fire alarm system, there was no automatic sprinkler system installed.
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