Three people were hospitalized and 12 apartments were left damaged after a two-alarm fire engulfed an apartment building in Gurnee early Saturday morning.
The Gurnee Fire Department responded around 12:56 a.m. Saturday to the Northlake Farms Apartments, 6740 Derby Drive, for a report of a structure fire.
Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Steffens said fire crews arrived to find flames and smoke showing from the first and second floors and the roof of a 16-unit apartment building.
The incident was eventually upgraded to the second alarm level through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS).
The two-story building was well involved in fire, which had spread into the attic.
Steffens said firefighters searched the building and found no residents inside. They rescued a cat, which is doing well.
The displaced residents from the building were kept at the community center at the apartment complex during the incident.
Three adult victims were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville by ambulances for injuries believed to be non-life-threatening, Steffens said.
Firefighters deployed three hose lines, a tower ladder and a deck gun from a fire engine to extinguish the fire.
Smoke filled the entire parking lot and entrance to the apartment complex, causing visibility issues, Steffens said.
15 fire departments from throughout the area responded to the scene and to cover Gurnee fire stations.
Steffens said eight apartments sustained fire damage, four apartments sustained smoke and water damage and four other apartments were not damaged.
An initial report indicated that sheets and a bed were on fire but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.