Fire Department Battles Heat, Wind in Thursday Condo Blaze

Scorching temperatures and gusty wind prompted the Crystal Lake Fire officials to call in approximately 12 area fire departments to assist with a condominium fire Thursday afternoon.

No one was injured in the blaze, which started in a condominium unit at 1218 Walnut Glen Dr. at approximately 12:15 p.m, according to Crystal Lake fire officials.

The fire spread to the adjoining units, leaving 1214, 1216 and 1218 Walnut Glen Drive uninhabitable, said Crystal Lake Battalion Chief Thomas G. Pollnow.

"No one was home (in 1218) when the fire started," Pollnow said. "There were people in the three or four adjacent units, and we evacuated them with the help of Crystal Lake police."

The condominium complex is located off Bard Road, and the property is adjacent to Crystal Lake Fire Station 4.

Pollnow said the Thursday afternoon hot temperatures - hovering in the upper 80 degrees - and wind gusts upwards of 30 mph made fighting the fire challenging.

For that reason, the Crystal Lake Fire Department upgraded the call to a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS)- 3 level.

"That gave us three engines per level," Pollnow said.

The cause of the fire as of late Thursday was still unknown. Investigators were on the scene and in the process of inspecting the charred remnants of 1218, where most of the second story floor was destroyed.

The managers of the condominum building helped fire officials locate the homeowner of 1218. She arrived at the scene at 4 p.m. Thursday, after firefighters had extinguished the blaze.