Crews battle raging apartment fire in DeKalb

DeKALB – Firefighters from multiple agencies across northern Illinois battled a raging apartment fire that broke out Sunday night in DeKalb, expected to significantly impact residents, authorities said.

Families and residents impacted at the apartment fires at 1024 and 934 W. Hillcrest drives, formerly Hunter Tri-Frat complex, are asked to go to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 830 N. Annie Glidden Road, to receive aid, Fire Chief Mike Thomas said. The church is acting as a staging area for relief efforts, Thomas said. The American Red Cross also is expected to send representatives to coordinate emergency aid, including temporary housing.

Crews from DeKalb, Sycamore, Malta, Cortland, Geneva, Waterman, Elburn and others responded.

“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 at about 6:45 p.m. Sunday.

West Hillcrest Drive is temporarily shut down to thru traffic between Greenbrier and Annie Glidden roads, Thomas said. He said he expects crews to remain on the scene Sunday for “quite some time.”

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

The fire broke out inside a unit at 1024 W. Hillcrest Drive and spread to the building’s attic. As of 6:45 p.m., the fire had spread to the second building in the complex, 934 W. Hillcrest. Thomas said the second building’s fire was not as serious as the first one.

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.

No injuries have been reported as of about 6:45 p.m.

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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)

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.

Shortly before 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 is 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. Additional updates could occur.