Firefighters Battle Blaze In Evanston Apartment Building

EVANSTON, IL — No one was injured in a fire in an Evanston apartment building Wednesday, according to fire officials.

But a family of four with two young boys in Evanston/Skokie District 65 schools lost everything but their lives, according to a relative.

Around 7:15 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to a multi-unit blaze in a building in the 1200 block of Judson Avenue, according to Evanston Fire Department Deputy Chief Paul Polep.

They arrived to find the fire had consumed a garden unit with visible flames and smoke billowing from within, Polep said. The fire had spread to the unit above.

Evanston police helped all residents evacuate the building, he said, so everyone was already out of the apartment building by the time fire crews showed up.

The fire was extinguished about 10 minutes after the initial call, according to a statement from the fire department. One resident suffered minor smoke inhalation but declined medical treatment.

Several out-of-town fire companies were called in to assist the effort and cover the rest of the city during the blaze, Polep said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The family of the residents displaced by the fire launched a fundraising effort on their behalf, along with a way to sign up to donate needed items.