Firefighters responding to a fire alarm rescued a resident who was critically injured after a fire started in an apartment in Zion Friday evening, fire officials said.
The Zion Fire and Rescue Department responded around 6:44 p.m. Friday to the 4200 block of White Pine Lane in Zion for a report of an activated fire alarm in an apartment building.
Bystanders soon after called 911 reporting a fire in the building, according to Zion Fire and Rescue Department Battalion Chief Eric Troy.
Firefighters arrived and found heavy smoke conditions in the common hallway of the building.
The incident was upgraded to bring additional firefighters and equipment to the scene and to cover Zion fire stations for other emergencies.
Firefighters entered an apartment that was well involved in flames, Troy said.
A search of the apartment resulted in firefighters finding an injured victim.
Troy said paramedics immediately provided medical care and the person was rushed to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan in critical condition.
Hose lines were deployed and a fire hydrant was accessed for continual water supply.
Searches of the entire apartment building were performed and no one else was injured or trapped, Troy said.
The remainder of the fire was extinguished and contained to the apartment where it started.
Troy said damage was estimated at $80,000 and no other residents in the building were displaced besides the apartment where the fire began.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Zion Fire and Rescue Department and Newport Township Fire Protection District.