Fire officials: Smoking materials caused blaze that displaced 10 in Elgin

Careless use of smoking materials led to a fire in northwest suburban Elgin that left 10 people homeless and wreaked more than $100,000 worth of damage on Saturday afternoon, according to fire officials.

Crews were called at 12:53 p.m. to the blaze at a three-story residence in the 200 block of Michigan Street, according to a statement from the Elgin fire department.

People were evacuating the building as flames shot from the roof and back porch, fire officials said. No one was injured.

The fire was brought under control by 1:20 p.m., leaving the building uninhabitable with damage estimated at $100,000, officials said. Smoking materials likely caused the fire, a preliminary investigation found.

The Red Cross was assisting 10 people with temporary housing Saturday night until repairs or other arrangements could be made.