About 60 residents displaced in apartment fire days before Christmas

DeKALB – An estimated 60 DeKalb residents were displaced Sunday night after a raging fire broke out at their apartment complex, leaving them without permanent housing days before Christmas.

Families and those impacted were directed late Sunday night to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 830 N. Annie Glidden Road, to receive aid, Fire Chief Mike Thomas said. The church on Sunday acted as a staging area for relief efforts along with staff from Family Service Agency and DeKalb County. The American Red Cross also is expected to send representatives to coordinate emergency aid, including temporary housing.

Red Roof Inn, 1212 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, also is acting as a staging area for impacted residents Monday. Organizations such as Family Service Agency and Rooted For Good have representatives there to help connect residents to food, housing and other needs.

At one point, all three floors of 1024 W. Hillcrest had heavy smoke, high heat on the top floor and zero visibility for crews, Thomas said.

“We are drawing assets from pretty far away because we’re worried because of the wind – and the fire was well advanced when we got here – we’re worried that because of the size of the building and the number of people who live here, we’re worried about having enough assets to take care of the problem,” Thomas said about 6:45 p.m. Sunday.

[ How to help DeKalb residents affected by apartment fire ]

Firefighters from multiple agencies across northern Illinois battled the fire for hours Sunday after it broke out inside an apartment unit inside 1024 W. Hillcrest Dr. around 5 p.m. The blaze quickly spread to the attic and neighboring building, however. Flames were seen coming from the back of the main building.

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Two DeKalb firefighters don their gear as they prepare to join the crews fighting a multi-building apartment fire on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in the 1000 block of West Hillcrest Drive in DeKalb. (Kelsey Rettke)

No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported.

Officials estimate the fire caused about $1 million in damage to the apartment complex, according to a news release.

In the 3-building complex formerly known as Hunter Trifrat, 1024 W. Hillcrest Drive has been condemned due to fire, smoke and water damage, city officials confirmed Monday morning. The other two buildings, 930 and 934 W. Hillcrest, were ruled uninhabitable, at least until City and utility crews can determine if they’re safe, officials said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by DeKalb fire officials and the Illinois Fire Marshall’s Office.

In a Monday morning news release update, Thomas said firefighters saw “rapidly changing conditions” shortly after they responded to the 911 call. Heavy fire from 1024 W. Hillcrest Drive spread to the neighboring 934 W. Hillcrest Drive building. Crews used three ladder trucks.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about two hours, Thomas said. First responders remained on the scene for about six and 1/2 hours, to ensure no hot spots caught and that residents were safe.

West Hillcrest Drive was temporarily shut down to traffic between Greenbrier and Annie Glidden roads, Thomas said. He said he expected crews to remain on the scene Sunday for “quite some time.” The roadway is clear as of Monday morning.

Crews were called by 911 call from a resident to the 1000 block of West Hillcrest Drive at 5:07 p.m., Thomas said.

The first building had already been evacuated when crews arrived. The second was not.

“So we did ask police and fire to help us evacuate that,” Thomas said.

Crews from DeKalb, Sycamore, Malta, Cortland, Geneva, Waterman, Elburn, Genoa-Kingston, Hampshire, Kirkland, Kaneville, Ogle-Lee, Maple Park, Steward, Sandwich, Aurora, Burlington, Sugar Grove, Somonauk and others also responded.

Thomas said authorities don’t yet have an estimate of how many residents are impacted or how many were living in each of the three buildings at the complex.

About 7 p.m. Sunday, the scene remained chaotic as heavy smoke wafted down the snow-covered block. A salt truck tossed salt onto the roadway as water from the firefighting efforts trickled down the street, already beginning to freeze with the cold weather.

First responders and passersby alike huddled around Thomas' command center set up along West Hillcrest down the street from Thirsty Discount Liquors at the corner of West Hillcrest and Annie Glidden. Dozens of emergency vehicles were seen staged at the liquor store and also the Mobile gas station across the street.

Temperatures were in the low 30s as of 7 p.m., expected only to get colder throughout the night. A chance of freezing rain was forecasted by Monday morning before 10 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Mayor Cohen Barnes, 7th Ward Alderman John Walker and City Manager Bill Nicklas also were on the scene.

Barnes said the city is coordinating efforts to ensure those impacted find housing, especially this close to Christmas.

“My heart goes out to the families that are going to be displaced because of this,” Barnes said. “The last thing during the holiday season that you want is an event like this to happen. I can only imagine the amount of presents that are under in tree inside these apartments that they’re not going to get access to, and even if they did are probably destroyed. And I imagine there’s going to be quite a few people that just don’t have the resources to make the replacement.”

The mayor referenced an apartment fire in May on nearby Kimberly Drive that displaced almost four dozen residents. Then, city and countywide agencies coordinated relief efforts for families, including offering clothes and other household items lost to the fire.

Barnes touted the DeKalb Fire Department’s coordination efforts with neighboring agencies to get the residents out safely and promptly when crews responded to the 911 call.

“They know exactly what they need to do,” Barnes said. “They know the resources that are on the ground right now, and they’re coordinating them appropriately to put the fire out and hopefully save one, if not two of the sections of [the building complex].”

He said city officials honed response procedures from the Kimberly fire relief drive.

“I think our response now in helping all the residents of this particular complex, get them the resources that they need, in order to get back on their feet, get them the housing that they need, is going to be a lot better than it was the first time,” Barnes said.

This story was updated at 9:14 p.m. Dec. 22, 2024. Another update at 11:36. a.m. Dec. 23, 2024, added more information from DeKalb Fire Department. Additional updates could occur.