Residents Displaced After Oak Park Fires

OAK PARK — More than a dozen people have been displaced after two fires broke out Saturday just a few blocks from each other. The fires are not related, officials said. No injuries were reported in either fire, but both caused significant damage.

The first fire broke out at about 4:30 p.m. in an apartment building in the 500 block of South Scoville Avenue. The fire was ignited in a second-floor bathroom and spread to the roof, officials said.

Then just before 7 p.m., another fire was reported in a home in the 700 block of South Elmwood Avenue, officials said. Oak Park firefighters were still putting out the blaze on Scoville, so Oak Brook and Bellwood units were called to assist with the fire on Elmwood, officials said. Fire departments in Berwyn, Stickney, Westchester and Hinsdale also assisted.

The fire in the Elmwood home appeared to start on a back porch, and a propane tank under the porch may have also blown up, according to a WGN report.

At least six families were displaced by the fires. The Red Cross is assisting with temporary housing for the residents.