'Everything was left behind': Palatine residents return to scene of devastating condo fire
Augustine Samuel was finishing up a shower late Sunday afternoon when police knocked on the door of his Palatine home and told him to get out.
Fire had broken out in an adjoining building at the Windhaven Condominium Complex and flames were spreading fast.
He hurriedly slipped on what clothes he could find — sandals and pajama bottoms, among them — and escaped.
Samuel was wearing the same clothes Monday morning when he returned to see what remained of his home.
“No jacket, no socks. Everything (is) inside,” he said. “My wallet is inside. My clothes inside. My hearing aid inside. My medicine inside.”
Samuel is one of the dozens of Windhaven residents who found themselves homeless after flames engulfed a pair of Palatine condominium buildings, leaving 22 units uninhabitable.
Driven by strong winds, the fire was battled for nearly 3½ hours by 60 firefighters from Palatine and surrounding communities before it was declared under control.
At one point during the fight, a rapid change in fire conditions and partial roof collapse caused the separation of fire crews and a “Mayday” call, officials said. Firefighters on the ground rapidly deployed a portable ladder to a firefighter on a third-floor balcony, allowing a safe escape.
No residents or firefighters were injured, authorities said.
The fire broke out shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday in a three-story building on East Dundee Quarter, north of Dundee Road and east of Rand Road. Palatine first responders arrived at 5:14 p.m. and reported smoke and fire coming from the building.
Flames quickly spread across a shared attic space into an adjoining building and the fire was upgraded at 5:47 p.m., bringing additional firefighting and EMS resources to the scene.
The blaze was declared under control at 8:37 p.m., but firefighters remained on the scene until about 6 a.m. Monday to ensure the fire was completely extinguished.
Palatine Fire Department investigators also were on the scene Monday morning working to determine what sparked the fire. Damage estimates were not immediately available.
Residents who returned to the charred buildings Monday morning found a fence separating them from what had been their homes.
“(I lost) my clothes and everything,” said Angeles Alonso, who has lived at the complex for eight years and spent Sunday night at her sister's home.
Fellow Woodhaven Marcello Munoz and his son, Luis, also visited the damaged buildings Monday, wondering when they could get back in to retrieve belongings spared by the flames.
He and his family were not home when the fire broke out. They heard about it on the news.
“Everything was left behind, like Social Security, passports,” Luis Munoz said.
Muhammad Yousuf, a member of the condominium association board, said he expects the group to meet later this week to discuss what will happen with the gutted buildings.
“We haven't made any decisions yet,” he said. “It just happened last night.”
Palatine officials said donations for displaced residents are being accepted at the Community Resource Center, 1585 N. Rand Road, and Palatine Township, 721 S. Quentin Road.
Needed items include clothes, shoes, new underwear and socks, personal and feminine hygiene items, food gift cards, and snacks and water. No cash donations are being accepted at this time, officials said.
Palatine Township Elementary District 15 Superintendent Laurie Heinz sent an email to the district community Monday stating that students are among the residents affected by the fire.
“Thankfully, our families are physically safe but have been emotionally impacted by the fire and loss of all of their belongings,” Heinz wrote. “We have students attending Stuart R. Paddock, Conyers Learning Academy, and Winston Campus Junior High that need our help. We are coordinating efforts with many local agencies to meet the needs of each family.”
That effort includes plans for a collection drive once the needs of the families are clearer, she wrote.