Apartment residents waited outside as fire inspectors made sure the complex was clear and safe to enter. Photo by Emily Chow / North by Northwestern. A fire at the residential building on 2209 Ridge Ave. on Sunday evening has displaced three Northwestern students, according to a statement from the Evanston Fire Department.
EFD has yet to determine the cause of the fire, which was limited to the kitchen area on the third floor of the building. It also caused extensive smoke and heat damage throughout the third floor unit. No injuries were reported.
At about 7:35 p.m. on Sunday, graduate student Eric Schickli heard someone pounding on his door and yelling that there was a “giant fire!”
When he went to check his neighbors’ kitchen, he saw “giant flames leaping from the stove.” He grabbed some of his possessions, locked his door and called 911. Within about five minutes, the fire units arrived. An hour and a half later Schickli and the other residents were let back into the building. His unit wasn’t damaged, but the one next door was.
“The entire thing was burnt,” he said, referring to his neighbors’ kitchen.
The EFD received several 911 reports of a fire at the building at approximately 7:26 p.m. on Sunday, the EFD statement said. Heavy smoke and fire were reported in the rear of the third floor as the fire company arrived at the site. Approximately 20 firefighters were deployed to the scene, according to Division Chief Tom Janetske.
The blaze was contained within minutes after the arrival of the first fire units, according to the press release, and the three displaced Northwestern students have been able to find alternative housing.
Fire investigators turned the building back over to building management after completing the preliminary investigation.