A cat is unaccounted for and over a dozen condominium units were deemed uninhabitable after a fire caused significant damage at Vacation Village in Fox Lake, just months after a fatal fire at the same complex.
The Fox Lake Fire Protection District and Fox Lake Police Department responded around 7:33 p.m. Saturday to Vacation Village in the 50 block of Oak Hill Colony Street in Fox Lake for a report of a structure fire.
Fox Lake Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ted Damos said crews arrived to find smoke showing from a three-story, multi-family residential building.
A resident called 911 after noticing smoke billowing from a window. The fire started in a second-floor unit, Damos said.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level, prompting a large response from numerous fire departments in Lake and McHenry counties.
Firefighters pulled hose lines and began conducting search and rescue operations to ensure no one was still inside.
No residents were found where the fire broke out and crews had to perform extensive extinguishment and overhaul efforts, Damos said.
The fire spread behind walls and firefighters had to rip down the walls and ceilings to expose the fire and extinguish it.
They remained on the scene for four hours and found hidden fires throughout the entire time they were on the scene, Damos said.
Damos said it was a stubborn fire to extinguish and took a while to bring under control.
There were at least a dozen units in the condominium building and all units were deemed uninhabitable until repairs can be made.
At least two units sustained fire, smoke and water damage, Damos said. The entire building sustained at least smoke damage.
The damage ranged from minor to extensive. Water and gas were shut off to the entire building.
No injuries were reported to any residents or firefighters. One cat is currently unaccounted for, Damos said.
A board-up company responded to the scene to secure the damaged building. The American Red Cross also responded to assist displaced residents but it is unclear how many residents were left homeless.
The Antioch, Round Lake, Grayslake, Countryside, Wauconda, Spring Grove, McHenry, Richmond, Newport, Fox River Grove, Lake Zurich and Lake Forest fire departments assisted Fox Lake during the incident.
Numerous fire investigators responded to the scene and conducted an investigation for several hours.
Damos said the cause and origin of the fire are currently undetermined.
Another fire broke out in a separate building at the same condominium complex in March, leading to the death of a 52-year-old father and former vice president of a company.
Damos said he did not know what caused the fire in the March fire but noted the two fires occurred at opposite ends of Vacation Village.