Two apartments damaged by Palatine fire

No one was injured but two apartments were left uninhabitable by a Monday morning fire in the kitchen of a second-floor unit on the 1800 block of North Goodwin Drive in Palatine.

The fire was reported at 11:24 a.m. The first Palatine Fire Department firefighters arrived on the scene within five minutes but saw no smoke or flames outside the three-story building, officials said.

As Palatine police helped evacuate residents from the building, firefighters entered and encountered high heat and dense smoke in the second-floor unit.

Fire damage was limited to the kitchen, but the entire unit and the one below sustained heat, smoke and fire damage, officials said.

The fire was declared under control at 11:45 a.m.

Investigators determined that fire began accidentally in the kitchen of the second-floor unit. A monetary damage estimate was not immediately determined Monday.

The Arlington Heights and Buffalo Grove fire departments and Long Grove Fire Protection District provided fire apparatus to assist Palatine firefighters, while the Northbrook Fire Department stood by at Station 82 to provide coverage for any additional calls.

The Palatine Fire Department took the fire as an opportunity to remind residents to have working smoke detectors and practiced escape plan, and not to delay fleeing a fire to search for pets or belongings.