Immobile Elderly Woman Rescued From Blaze: Fire Officials

ST. CHARLES, IL – An elderly woman who was unable to walk became trapped inside her downtown St. Charles apartment after a blaze broke out Thursday night, fire officials told Patch. A fire alarm went off at about 10:39 p.m. at Carroll Tower, 200 N. 2nd Street, alerting fire crews to the blaze. Firefighters responded and found the woman, who was "clearly disoriented," stuck inside her second-floor apartment at the six-story complex located along the Fox River, St. Charles Fire Chief Joe Schelstreet told Patch.

"The firefighters carried her from the apartment down the stairs," Schelstreet said in an e-mail response.

She was examined by paramedics and taken to Delnor Hospital as a precautionary measure due to the heavy smoke in her apartment, Schelstreet said.

No one else was injured in the fire.

Fire officials believe the blaze started in the kitchen of the woman's apartment. The fire did not spread to any other units and a sprinkler system is credited with keeping the blaze "in check in the kitchen." Combustible materials left on a stove top is believed to have caused the fire, which is being considered an accident, fire officials said.

As firefighters battled the blaze, which only took 15 minutes to extinguish, some residents at Carroll Tower were brought to the lobby and "sheltered in place," according to a news release from the St. Charles Fire Department.

There was significant smoke throughout the second floor, and crews remained on scene until about 12:15 p.m. helping residents get back to their apartments, according to the news release.

The blaze caused an estimated $50,000 in damage.

The St. Charles Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Geneva, Batavia and Elburn fire departments. The North Aurora Fire Department changed quarters to assist with any additional incidents while St. Charles units were operating at the fire.

Photo caption: Carroll Tower/Photo credit: GoogleMaps