Firefighters and police officers rescued three residents and a dog from a fire at an apartment building in Gurnee late Saturday evening and an electric scooter was the likely cause of the fire.
The Gurnee Fire Department, Waukegan Fire Department and Gurnee Police Department responded around 11:50 p.m. Saturday to reports of a structure fire at the Luna Park Apartments, 1700 Wedgewood Drive in Gurnee.
Dispatchers received a fire alarm activation as well as multiple 911 callers reporting smoke coming from the second floor of the apartment building, according to fire department radio traffic.
While emergency crews rushed to the scene, a resident on the second floor called 911 to report that the fire was inside their apartment and that they were unable to evacuate.
First responders arrived and saw that some of the residents were trapped on their balconies.
Firefighters, with the help of Gurnee police officers, used ladders to rescue three people from the building.
Most of the other residents safely evacuated the building.
The three people sustained only minor injuries, Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Steffens said at the scene.
A dog was also rescued and reunited with its owner.
Firefighters quickly entered the building and contained the fire to the apartment unit where it had started.
The fire was brought under control in about 10 minutes after the fire department arrived.
“We evaluated several people on scene and obtained multiple refusals,” Steffens said. “We ended up transporting one adult female to Vista East Medical Center with minor injuries,” Steffens added.
Most of the fire damage was confined to an apartment unit on the second floor where the fire originated. That unit is uninhabitable.
An apartment unit next door sustained light damage from exposure to the fire, but that unit remains habitable.
“Pretty much all the fire, smoke and water damage were confined to Unit 215 and light damage to Unit 213,” Steffens added.
One resident was displaced due to the fire.
“We’re looking heavily at an electric scooter, which seems to be what the occupants are claiming was the result of the fire, but it’s still under investigation with our department,” Steffens said.
A damage estimate was not immediately available.
The Newport Township Fire Protection District also assisted at the scene.
The fire remains under investigation by the Gurnee Fire Department.