Apartment Fire Displaces More Than 60 People In Aurora

AURORA, IL — More than a dozen people were displaced from their homes over the weekend after a fire broke out in a 10-story apartment building in Aurora Friday. The fire was reportedly noticed by ComEd workers who were at the apartment complex in the 400 block of Garfield to try to restore power after it went out.

Electrical workers contacted the Aurora Fire Department after they spotted black smoke coming from the basement. When firefighters got to the scene, they traced the smoke to an electric panel that had overheated in the basement. ComEd reportedly shut off the power to the building, which led the smoke to dissipate.

Fire officials said the 65 people who live in the complex were unable to return to their homes because the electricity had been shut off and because the building did not have a working fire alarm. Some residents were assisted by Red Cross and others were helped by friends and family members.