Westmont apartment complex uninhabitable following extra-alarm fire

An extra-alarm fire left a three-building apartment complex completely uninhabitable Wednesday morning in west suburban Westmont.

Crews were dispatched to an activated fire alarm about 1:40 a.m. at the Westmont Village Apartments complex in the 6700 block of South Park Lane, according to a statement from the Westmont Fire Department. Crews arrived to see heavy fire on the outside of one of the buildings running up an exterior wall to the attic.

The fire was upgraded to a three-alarm, calling more than 100 fire personnel from 35 different agencies to the building to help bring the blaze under control, the fire department said.

Westmont Fire Department Deputy Chief Steve Riley said the fire was under control by about 3:30 a.m. and was fully out by 4:30 a.m.

“Due to the quick response of the Westmont Police Department and the help of residents in the building knocking on doors, we were able to safely evacuate all three buildings with no injuries,” Riley said in the statement.

The fire spread from the initial building to both adjacent buildings in the complex, ultimately rendering all 18 units uninhabitable, Riley said. Only 16 of the units were occupied at the time of the fire.

The DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force is looking into the cause of the fire.

Wednesday’s blaze was the second major fire at an apartment complex in the suburb in less than a week, according to officials.

About 9:45 a.m. Saturday, a fire broke out at an apartment complex at 73 Piers Drive, fire officials said. Firefighters found flames coming from the roof of the 12-unit, three-story building.

It took more than two hours to bring the fire under control and all 12 units at the building were also deemed uninhabitable, officials said. The cause was still under investigation by the Westmont Fire Department.

The American Red Cross was assisting residents with housing related to both fires.