A fire found in an upper level apartment unit at Husky Ridge apartment complex near Northern Illinois University campus displaced five people Wednesday afternoon.
Three people in an upper level unit and two people in the ground level unit directly below lost their homes after damage from smoke and fire deemed the apartments uninhabitable, according to a news release from the DeKalb Fire Department.
Multiple fire engines and crews from the DeKalb Fire Department responded to a caller reporting that the apartment unit above them may be on fire since their ceiling was hot and turning black, and they could hear crackling at 901 W. Hillcrest shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival, there were no obvious flames showing, said Fire Chief Jeff McMaster, though the two-story building was evacuated and crews located a fire, and attempted to put it out with a fire extinguisher until a handline could be used.