Dozens Of Families Displaced Overnight By Apartment Fire In Arlington Heights; 80-Year-Old Man Arrested
CHICAGO (CBS)-- A fire in an Arlington Heights apartment building sent residents into the freezing cold overnight.
Smoke was seen billowing out of a unit in the building located at 400 West Rand Road just after midnight. Officials believe the fire started on the first floor and spread to the second floor.
A total of 96 apartments were evacuated.
The Arlington Heights Police Department also arrested an 80-year-old man who lived in the apartment where the fire started.
Police said the man was taken into custody after making statements about the fire to police. Detectives were reviewing evidence with Cook County prosecutors, but no charges have yet been filed.
A resident told CBS 2 alarms went off around midnight.
"The building there was fully engulfed, flames were about 20-feet high," the resident said.
Police said, while most of the families who live in the building were allowed to return to their homes, about a third of the apartments remained uninhabitable after the fire. Police said they all are believed to have temporary housing arrangements, but the Red Crosss is providing support services.