By Kimberly Pohl
The Chicago Daily Herald
PALATINE, Ill. — A Palatine man was hospitalized with burn injuries Tuesday after an early morning fire at his apartment building, authorities said.
The Palatine Fire Department responded at 1:02 a.m. to the report of activated smoke detectors and multiple calls reporting smoke in the back hallway of a six-unit building on the 1900 block of North Green Lane North, near Dundee and Baldwin roads.
Palatine police officers assisted residents prior to the arrival of the firefighters, who found heavy smoke from an open second floor balcony sliding door, the fire department said in a news release.
The man who suffered burn injuries was transported to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights and later transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
His condition was not available.
A total of 21 Palatine firefighters, along with crews from the Arlington Heights Fire Department, responded to the scene and declared the fire under control at 1:22 a.m., authorities said.
Though the fire was confined to the rear stairwell, several apartments suffered heavy smoke damage and Palatine’s Neighborhood Services team determined the building to be uninhabitable.
All displaced residents were taken in by family, Division Fire Chief Paul Wallis said.
The blaze left an estimated $15,000 in damage and its cause remains under investigation, Wallis.
Palatine fire authorities stressed the importance of having an escape plan. For more information, call the Palatine Fire Department at (847) 202-6340.
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