One person was killed Saturday morning in a fire at a condo building in suburban Palatine, according to local fire officials.
Officials said firefighters responded to an automatic fire alarm at a building at 245 North Smith Street at approximately 6:37 a.m. and observed smoke and flames coming out of the second floor of the building.
Several crews and a total of 39 firefighters battled the blaze, including a rescue crew that attempted to make a rescue on the second floor while other firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.
Officials said the fire was contained to the unit of origin and declared to be under control by 7:10 a.m.
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"I exited the building immediately. I kind of just grabbed my daughter who is 3 years old, and my dog and jetted into my car and took off as the fire trucks were coming," resident Lindsay Weaver said.
Fire officials said one person was killed in the blaze, though no other civilians or firefighters were injured.
While there are currently no estimates on the extent of damages, the building's other five units did not suffer any fire damage. Residents of the other units were however forced to evacuate, due to loss of power and running water, which is expected to be restored tomorrow.
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It's unclear when the building's residents will be allowed back in.
For Weaver, this morning's blaze didn't come without symptoms in the previous weeks.
"This would be like the fourth occurrence of the fire alarm going off within a month," Weaver said.
Jean Gralewski, the property manager of the building, said they have been in contact with residents in the building about their safety concerns.
The Palatine Fire Department told NBC 5 the cause of the fire was accidental in nature, being caused by the use of smoking materials.
