Foster Avenue Fire Displaces Two Families: Evanston F.D.

EVANSTON, IL — A kitchen fire displaced two families after forcing the evacuation of a dozen occupants of an Evanston home Sunday night. Crews were dispatched shortly after 11 p.m. to a multi-family residence the 2000 block of Foster Avenue, according to Evanston Fire Department.

Residents were rapidly fleeing the building as firefighters arrived. Fire crews rushed in and found a kitchen ablaze on the second floor, with flames extending to the attic. The department activated its mutual aid alarm due to cold temperatures and the potential threat to life. Crews cleared the building and went after the fire, which was extinguished within 30 minutes of the initial call, according to Fire Chief Brian Scott.

There were with no injuries to firefighters. One resident was taken to Evanston Hospital for a minor back injury as a result of a slip and fall during evacuation. The Red Cross is providing aid to the displaced families, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but it appears to be accidental, Scott said in a statement.