A fire at a five-unit townhouse displaced multiple families and left a resident injured in Gurnee Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
The Gurnee Fire Department and Gurnee Police Department responded at 2:58 p.m. Saturday to the 6800 block of West Wellsley Court in Gurnee for a report of a structure fire at a five-unit townhouse.
Gurnee Fire Department Lieutenant Jim Gramer told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the fire started in the exterior of one of the townhouse units.
Emergency crews arrived to find the rear of the townhouse fully involved in flames and traveling up the building.
The fire spread to the attic spaces of three of the units, Gramer said.
Firefighters deployed a total of three hose lines to fight the fire from both the outside and inside of numerous townhouse units.
One resident had difficulty breathing due to smoke inhalation and was evaluated by paramedics.
They were released at the scene and did not get transported to the hospital.
Gramer said that crews had to take an aggressive approach when they entered the units and pulled ceilings to extinguish the fire in the attic spaces.
At least two of the townhouse units are uninhabitable, with one Gramer described as being a “significant loss.”
Two other units sustained water damage.
The American Red Cross was requested to provide relief to three families, Gramer said.
Fire crews remained on the scene for around three hours.
A damage estimate or cause of fire was not immediately available.
The Gurnee Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Newport Township, Mundelein and Grayslake fire departments.
The Lake Forest, Zion and Libertyville fire departments provided coverage at the Gurnee fire stations during the incident.
The fire remains under investigation by the Gurnee Fire Department.