Residents displaced after apartment fire at Hunter Hillcrest complex in DeKalb

DeKALB - Hunter Hillcrest apartment residents were displaced after a Wednesday building fire which started in the kitchen of an upstairs apartment in the 1000 block of West Hillcrest Drive, fire officials said.

DeKalb Fire Chief Jeff McMaster said firefighters responded to a structure fire at 12:52 p.m. at the property in the Annie Glidden North neighborhood. He said there was smoke coming out of the roof of the building when firefighters arrived.

“We actually had people hanging out of the windows,” McMaster said. “And we had firefighters exercising rescues.”

There were also two residents on the roof who had climbed out of windows when firefighters arrived, according to a news release from the DeKalb Fire Department.

McMaster said all five apartment units in the building were deemed uninhabitable, displacing five DeKalb residents.

George Swope, of the 1000 block of West Hillcrest Drive, said he was listening to music in his apartment on the Hunter Hillcrest building’s second floor early Wednesday afternoon.

“And I heard my neighbor yelling for the fire extinguisher,” Swope said.

Swope, 34, said he went to the adjacent apartment and when he opened his neighbor’s door, “all of this black smoke came out.”

Residents on the top floor of the building, including Swope, were evacuated out of an apartment window with the help of DeKalb and surrounding area firefighters.

“I just didn’t want to die there,” Swope said.

McMaster said no civilians or firefighters were injured because of the fire. The displaced residents are being assisted by the American Red Cross, McMaster said.

McMaster said businesses in the lower level of the building “are closed at this time.”

DeKalb fire investigators have ruled the fire was accidental in nature and originated from a kitchen in an upper unit, according to the release. Damages were estimated at $100,000, and the building has been deemed uninhabitable for the time being until officials can assess its safety.

A portion of Hillcrest Drive was closed for about 2 hours.

DeKalb County dispatcher scanners reported that callers saw smoke coming from the roof of the two-story complex.

The city of DeKalb sent a citywide emergency alert at 1 p.m. asking residents to avoid the area and re-route drivers as necessary.

Crews from the Sycamore, Cortland, Malta and Maple Park fire departments were called to assist DeKalb Fire Department at the scene. DeKalb and Northern Illinois University police also responded to the scene.

The building recently underwent an ownership change, from local landlord Hunter Properties to the city of DeKalb. City officials had said they planned to demolish the building after its tenants were relocated to pave way for future development.

DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas said the city officials closed on the purchase of the building, which was formerly owned by embattled area landlord Hunter Properties on Oct. 18. That came about six months after the city initially expressed interest in purchasing the property as part of a settlement with the property management company, which had nearly 500 code violations since 2017.

Nicklas said the city sent certified letters to tenants notifying them of the purchase Oct. 20 and giving them six months to move out of the apartments and storefronts. As of Wednesday, two out of nine commercial tenants already have relocated, Nicklas said.

He said the city still plans to tear the building down eventually, but officials intend to “treat it as if it was a brand-new building” in the fire’s aftermath.

“So we’ll be responsible for it until the end of its useful life,” Nicklas said.

Nicklas, who also was on the scene of the fire, said the city wasn’t happy to hear about this happening to residents, and officials responded to the fire swiftly.

“We’re trying to make sure people have a safe and gentle place to land,” Nicklas said. “And we’re putting in the time to do that right.”