Updated 3:22 p.m.: A extra-alarm fire in an apartment building at Oak Avenue and Crain Street in Evanston about 11 this morning left five people displaced from their homes.
Updated 3:22 p.m.: A extra-alarm fire in an apartment building at Oak Avenue and Crain Street in Evanston about 11 this morning left five people displaced from their homes.
When fire crews arrived flames were bursting through a second floor apartment window at 1106 Crain St, part of a 1930s vintage apartment complex with several entrances that wraps around the corner.
Some firefighters cut holes in the roof to ventilate the structure, while others battled the flames from inside the building.
In addition to fire apparatus in front of the building and in the alley behind it, additional fire units blocked traffic on both directions on busy Ridge Avenue, a block to the west.
It took fire crews until about 12:20 p.m. to completely extinguish the blaze.
Fire units from several nearby communities were called in to back up Evanston units on the scene.
All the residents of the building managed to get out safely, and no injuries were reported.
Damage is estimated at $200,000 and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
(Photo credits: Top photo Evanston Fire Department, all others Evanston Now.)