Firefighters respond to a townhouse fire that left one resident injured and damaged multiple residential units in the 6800 block of West Wellsey Court in Gurnee on August 12, 2023. | Photo: Joe Shuman/J. Shuman Photography (2023)

The Culver’s in Waukegan is hosting a fundraiser this week to help donate money to the families who were displaced during a fire at a five-unit townhouse in Gurnee last month.

The Culver’s restaurant, located at 850 South Waukegan Road in Waukegan, is hosting the fundraiser from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. Wednesday.

The restaurant will donate 20% of all sales to the Petnikov and Jimenez families, who were left homeless after a fire on August 12.

The fire occurred in the 6800 block of West Wellsley Court in Gurnee.

Gurnee Fire Department Lt. 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.

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The fire spread to the attic spaces of three of the units, Gramer said.

Firefighters respond to a townhouse fire that left one resident injured and damaged multiple residential units in the 6800 block of West Wellsey Court in Gurnee on August 12, 2023. | Photo: Joe Shuman/J. Shuman Photography (2023)

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 were 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.

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