Firefighters rescue girl, 13, from Palatine apartment blaze
BY LEEANN SHELTON Staff Reporter April 15, 2013 11:44PM
Maps
Updated: April 16, 2013 1:55AM
A 13-year-old girl who suffered serious smoke-inhalation injuries was rescued from an apartment blaze by Palatine firefighters Monday evening.
Firefighters responded just after 5 p.m. to the burning building in the 400 block of West Palatine Road. They had received reports that children were trapped inside, according to a news release from the Palatine Fire Department.
Neighbors who heard smoke detectors in the second-floor, two-bedroom unit were the first to call 911, the release said.
Palatine Police could not account for one occupant, prompting a crew of firefighters to search the apartment while another crew worked to douse the flames, the release said.
Firefighters found the 13-year-old girl conscious in a bathroom behind a closed door, the release said. Rescuers carried her out of the building and took her to Northwest Community Hospital.
Palatine Battalion Chief Jim Conn said her injuries were serious, but she was expected to survive, he said.
Crews brought the fire under control within 20 minutes, the release said. The fire left the apartment uninhabitable and caused at least $75,000 in damage.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, Conn said.
