Several displaced after fire at Elk Grove Village apartment complex

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) - More than a dozen people are displaced after soldering work sparked a fire that spread through the walls of an Elk Grove Village apartment building Tuesday night.

The fire started about 5:30 p.m. in the walls of a first-floor unit in the apartment complex in the 900 block of Ridge Square, Elk Grove Village Fire Chief Richard Mikel said. Workers had been doing soldering work when materials inside the walls ignited.

I had been home for about 45 minutes. There were some construction workers working on the unit next door and all of a sudden I heard them yell, Fire,' said Amanda Fairchild, who evacuated safely with her dog, Smelly.

The flames quickly spread up through the walls of the first, second and third floors but firefighters stopped the fire from reaching the attic, Mikel said.

Crews from several nearby departments responded to the extra-alarm fire, officials said.

No one was hurt, but between 15 and 20 people are displaced, Mikel said. The Red Cross is helping them find a place to stay.

An estimate of the damage was not yet available Tuesday evening.

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Several displaced after fire at Elk Grove Village apartment complex