
Numerous residents were displaced after flames engulfed a unit at an apartment building, prompting a large fire department response and shutting down Route 47, in Hebron Tuesday evening.
The Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District responded around 5:09 p.m. Tuesday to the 10100 block of Main Street in Hebron for a report of a structure fire.
Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District Chief Thomas Linneman said the Richmond, Wonder Lake, Spring Grove, Harvard, Woodstock and Town of Linn fire departments were also called to the scene.
Firefighters arrived to find a large residential structure that had been converted into a four-unit apartment complex.
Heavy flames were observed throughout one of the apartments, Linneman said.
The call was upgraded through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to the box alarm level due to the potential for the fire to spread to two nearby eight-unit apartment buildings.
The Cary, Walworth, Bloomfield, Lake Geneva, Twin Lakes and Fontana fire departments, along with Capron Rescue, responded to the alarm.
The McHenry and Town of Randall fire departments stood by and covered additional calls in Hebron.
Linneman said Mercyhealth MD-1 responded and assisted with rehab and firefighter safety.
The fire was brought under control in just under 30 minutes and the damage, which was extensive, was contained to the apartment where the fire originated, Linneman said.
Two of the four families were home at the time of the fire and were able to safely evacuate the building prior to the fire department arriving.
Linneman said no residents or firefighters were injured during the incident.
The American Red Cross was called to the scene to assist the displaced residents.
All units of the building, totaling eight residents, were displaced until the building department deems the other three units habitable, Linneman said. The unit where the fire originated was destroyed.
Firefighters remained on the scene until 8 p.m. monitoring for hot spots. Damage was estimated at $75,000.
Linneman said Route 47, also known as Main Street, was completely shut down until 8 p.m. while crews worked on the scene. The sheriff’s office and the Illinois Department of Transportation assisted with traffic control.
The fire appears to be accidental in nature but remains under investigation by the Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire District and the McHenry County Sherriff’s Office.