Authorities in suburban Oakbrook Terrace said Saturday an investigation was underway into a massive fire at an apartment complex that occurred late Friday night as storms rolled through.
Flames broke out at around 11:45 p.m. at the Arden of Oakbrook complex along Royce Boulevard north of Butterfield Road, said Richard Sanborn, fire chief with the York Center Fire District. Firefighters arrived at the scene and didn't see any flames initially, but after investigating, discovered a heavy amount of fire inside the attic.
Crews spent several hours battling the flames and were able to extinguish the fire at around 4:30 a.m., Sanborn said. At least three firefighters sustained heat-related injuries and were transported to area hospitals, but had been released as of Saturday afternoon.
One resident told NBC Chicago that she was awoken by a neighbor and suddenly started knocking on other doors to alert others to ensure they would get out safely.
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"I banged on the whole fourth floor," Lydia Memeti said. "Everybody's up and we stayed up until 2:30, and it's getting worse and worse. Then I finally had to call my daughter to get me."
In the midst of the chaos, Memeti said she managed to grab her keys - but wasn't able to go back to get her other belongings.
"I don't know what to say, but I have nothing," she told NBC Chicago, visibly emotional. "I just got my two hands. I have no driver's license, no passport, nothing. Everything was burnt."
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Another resident had just returned from a night out with friends when he hard alarms going off and saw commotion.
"It's unreal," Kendall Griffin said. "I've been here for over three years... beautiful place, I know many of the people that live here. it's just devastating to see the damage. It didn't look like it's going to be that bad, and to see what it looks like this morning is unreal."
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Saturday afternoon.
