A resident was critically hurt in a condo unit fire on Olive Street Arlington Heights, and people in the 47 other units had to find somewhere else to sleep overnight Wednesday to Thursday. YouTube Tips ⓘ
Police, firefighters and paramedics responded just before midnight overnight Wednesday to Thursday when a fire occurred in a first floor condo unit on the south side of a 4-story condominium apartment building.
Arlington Heights Fire Department was dispatched at about 11:52 p.m. Wednesday, January 11, 2023 to an activated fire alarm at a large multi-family residence at 2315 East Olive Street in Arlington Heights. Immediately after the initial activated alarm, the Northwest Central Dispatch System (9-1-1) received multiple calls reporting the activated alarm and confirmed that there was smoke in the first-floor hallway. Firefighters on arrival did not see any exterior smoke, but interior attack firefighters discovered smoke, especially when they moved from the lobby to the east wing of the condo building — east of the main lobby. Firefighters discovered that smoke was coming from the first unit on the right in the east wing. Next, they discovered the unit was fully-involved with fire.
Firefighters made entry into the involved condo unit and quickly had water on the fire. An interior search was conducted, and one resident was found unresponsive on a couch. The male fire victim was removed from the condo unit and was immediately transferred to the front lawn of the condominium building. He was treated with CPR and Advanced Life Support — including intubation for airway maintenance. A Lucas chest compression system was applied for automated CPR, and the victim was transferred to an ambulance, and then transported to a hospital. Residents reported seeing paramedics administering CPR on the front lawn of the condo building.
Due to heavy smoke, a search and evacuation operation was established in units adjacent to the fire unit. Additional living units were also evacuated throughout the entire building. The main fire damage was contained to the condo unit of origin. Heavy smoke damage was sustained on the first floor.
Approximately 30 firefighters from six surrounding departments (including Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights and Schaumburg units on the scene) responded to the incident. Rolling Meadows firefighters responded to stand by in an Arlington Heights fire station. There were no firefighter injuries during the incident, according to the Arlington Height Fire Department.
Press brief from Arlington Heights Fire Department Fire Chief Lance Harris regarding a condo unit fire in a 4-story building on Olive Street in Arlington Heights. YouTube Tips ⓘ
The cause of the fire is still under investigation with assistance from the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Arlington Heights Police Department. The State Fire Marshal’s Office was on the scene overnight. Residents, who knew the man, said he was a smoker, but initially there was no indication from officials that smoking was connected to the cause of the fire.
Police officers on the scene also helped coordinate sheltering the residents that were evacuating. Initially, residents were not sure whether they were going to be permitted to re-enter their condo units for the rest of the night. However, after the State Fire Marshal arrived, officials determined that no residents would be allowed to return to their condo units, except to retrieve personal belongings, medicine and pets, etc. Some residents initially evacuated with their pets, but some other residents said it was difficult to retrieve their cats when the fire alarm sounded.
A police officer also helped a resident who couldn’t start his car so that he could warm up inside his car. The police officer used his police SUV to jump the battery. Residents were assisted by the American Red Cross, and property management. Some waited in an interior common property space of the condominiums, and eventually moved to accommodations with family or friends or lodging with the assistance of the Red Cross.
According to the National Weather Service observations at 11:52 p.m. Wednesday, January 11, 2023, winds were calm with an air temperature of 42°F. North winds at about 14 MPH picked up between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. with a temperature of 38-39°F. Weather was mostly cloudy with haze.
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