1 dead, dozens displaced after apartment complex fire in Woodstock, Illinois
WOODSTOCK, Ill. (CBS) — A fire at an apartment complex in Woodstock, Illinois left one dead and displaced dozens of residents Tuesday night.
The fire broke out at the two-story building in the 700 block of St. John's Road, near Hickory Road, around 10:15 p.m.
Officials said the quick-spreading fire caused significant damage to 12 units in the building. Firefighters battling the fire requested additional units as it was upgraded to a fifth alarm.
Crews spent nearly two hours battling the flames.
"Preliminary investigations indicate the fire began in a first-floor unit," said Woodstock Fire Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha. "The building lacked both a sprinkler and central smoke alarm system, contributing to the rapid spread of the fire throughout the two-story complex."
One man suffered life-threatening injuries in the fire. Fire officials said he was taken to Northwestern Medicine Woodstock Hospital where he died.
He is identified as Douglas Webster, 54. An autopsy will be performed on Webster's body on Thursday.
One woman recalled how she nearly had to jump from her balcony, because the fire was spreading. Jaicia Walden felt pure fear as she contemplated what she should do.
"I was thinking I'm really going to have to jump and possibly break bones," she said. "I'm not the fittest person."
She did some quick thinking, looking around for something to throw out the window to land on if she jumped.
"I tried to get my mattress, but it was very hard to get off the second floor," she said. "So I waited for the firemen—not long at all with the ladder."
Firefighters rescued Walden from her balcony.
Walden later recorded video showing flames shooting through the roof of the building that she once called home.
"It's crazy how fast it escalated with the smoke. That's what took me by surprise, because when I first opened (the door), I didn't think it could get smokier than it was, but then when the police officer told me to go knock on my neighbor's doors, I went back," she said. "Just 30 seconds, that's all it took, and it was just pure black."
Walden said she is numb.
"I've had a lot of deaths in the family—my boyfriend of 12 years, my dad," she said. "So I'm really—this all just happened. I don't know what else. I can't give up."
The American Red Cross is working to assist nearly 30 residents displaced by the fire. There is a shelter set up for residents at the St. John Lutheran Church.
A witness told CBS News Chicago she saw apartments fully engulfed in flames as residents tried to evacuate, along with dogs and cats.
"A lot of people just lost everything," neighbor Cassandra Janis said.
The Woodstock fire department says the apartment building is unlivable.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Damage to the building has been estimated at $1.5 million.
While the overall story is tragic, firefighters did have a little good news to share. In the rubble, they found three cats that somehow managed to survive in a second-floor apartment.
They were reunited with a grateful owner.
