No injuries reported in South Shore apartment building fire

No injuries were reported early Sunday when a fire broke out in the hallway of a South Shore neighborhood apartment building on the South Side.

Firefighters responded shortly before 3:30 a.m. to the three-story, courtyard apartment building in the 7600 block of South Essex, according to Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Walter Schroeder.

The fire started in a third floor hallway, he said. No injuries were reported.

The blaze was contained to the hallway and extinguished by 3:50 a.m., Schroeder said. The building contains at least 20 units, but it was not immediately known how many residents were displaced. The Illinois Department of Human Services was called to the scene to assist with housing.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.