A fire at a north suburban apartment complex left 12 families displaced on Christmas Day in Lake Villa.
Crews responded about 2:45 p.m to the blaze in the 0-100 block of Cedar Avenue, Lake Villa Fire Protection Dist. Chief Frank Slazes told reporters at the scene.
Heavy flames were showing from a third-floor unit on the north side of the building, where the fire was contained, Slazes said.
Other apartment units sustained smoke and water damage, leaving the building uninhabitable, Slazes said. No one was hurt.
"We're just thankful that the residents upstairs weren't in the building, because they would have been seriously hurt," said Trisha Cutworth, the daughter of one of the building's tenants. "There was a Christmas after all."
The Chicago Red Cross was called in to assist some of the residents of the 12-unit building who were forced to find other lodging at least for the night.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
