An apartment building in the 4400 block of Eberly Avenue, Brookfield, sustained damage after a fire broke out in a second-floor apartment on Oct. 2 at about 7:40 p.m.
No one was injured, and the two occupants of the apartment evacuated before firefighters arrived.
Fire Chief Patrick Lenzi reported that the second-floor apartment on the southwest corner of the two-story building at 4423 Eberly Ave. was “fully involved” in flames when units arrived at the scene.
Firefighters from Brookfield, LaGrange, Lyons, Western Springs, Pleasantview, LaGrange Park and Riverside assisted in battling the blaze, which appears to have originated in a bedroom. Other departments provided ambulances, investigators and operations assistance.
Investigators later determined that the fire started accidentally. According to a police report of the incident, the fire investigator stated that there were a “substantial number” of used cigarettes inside a container next to the bed and used cigarettes “everywhere” in the bedroom.
The tenants were allowed to retrieve items from the apartment prior to the unit being boarded up. Officials also contacted the Red Cross to provide any needed assistance. Firefighters cleared the scene at about 10:45 p.m.
