Fire In Evanston Duplex Displaces Lawndale Avenue Residents

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston firefighters quelled a blaze in a duplex Tuesday within a half-hour of the initial call, according to the department. No residents or firefighters were injured.

Around 10:15 a.m., firefighters was dispatched to the 2500 block of Lawndale Avenue for a call of a multi-family home on fire, said Evanston Fire Department Division Chief Kim Kull.

The first firefighters to arrive found heavy smoke and flames at the front of the building, as the fire extended from the attic to the basement, according to Kull.

"The fire started in the wall in the east bedroom," Kull said, noting the fire "appears accidental and likely electrical in nature."

Fire crews acted quickly to attack the fire and battled the blaze with offensive tactics, according to the division chief. That allowed firefighters to contain the fire to the unit where it began by about 30 minutes after the call, she said.

Kull said the fire department received help from the fire departments of Skokie, Highland Park, Glenview, Niles, Deerfield, as well as the state fire marshal's office, to cover the rest of Evanston while it dealt with the Lawndale Avenue fire.