
Firefighters from nearly 20 departments are responding to an extra-alarm fire that sent flames through an apartment building and injured people near Long Grove Tuesday evening.
The Long Grove Fire Protection District responded around 5:51 p.m. Tuesday to the 2300 block of West Nichols Road in unincorporated Arlington Heights, just south of Long Grove, for a report of a structure fire.
911 callers reported multiple people trapped in the burning building at the Country Glen Apartment Complex, according to fire department radio traffic.
Firefighters arrived to find an active fire in a three-story apartment building. Multiple fire departments were called to assist.
The incident was soon upgraded through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to the box alarm level and then the second alarm level to bring additional fire department resources to the scene.
Fire crews reported heavy fire on the second and third floors of the apartment building, which is located on Lake Cook Road just east of Route 53.
Firefighters were using multiple hose lines and a tower ladder truck to apply water to the fire.
At least 19 fire departments were on the scene. The Wheeling, Lake Zurich, Countryside, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Buffalo Grove, Prospect Heights, Des Plaines, Arlington Heights, Lake Forest, Barrington, Libertyville, Mundelein, Rolling Meadows, Barrington Countryside, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Gurnee, Northbrook and Northfield fire departments were assisting Long Grove.
Eight ambulances were dispatched to the scene amid reports of people injured.
As of 7 p.m., heavy smoke continued pouring out of the roof of the building as firefighters continued spraying water on the fire.
Fire officials have not released further information on the incident, including how many residents were displaced or injured.