UPDATE: Decatur apartment fire leaves two families displaced

Simmy Wood
·2 min read

Update at 4:50 p.m.

DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — The Decatur Fire Department has released more details on a Wednesday morning apartment fire on South Main Street.

Fire crews arrived at the scene at 10:50 a.m. They found heavy fire and smoke coming from the second story apartment of a five-story apartment complex.

Some firefighters began hosing down the fire. Others found that the entire complex had filled with smoke, and helped evacuate the building. The fire was quickly extinguished.

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Officials determined that the fire started in the bedroom of a family’s apartment. They concluded that two adults and three children were in the apartment at the time, and all were able to get out of the building and call 911.

The family is now displaced from their apartment, as well as another family from a second apartment. The Red Cross provided assistance to both families.

After two hours, the building was ventilated and air quality confirmed to be safe. Occupants were allowed to return to their apartments.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal and Decatur Fire Department Battalion Chief Neil Elder continue to investigate the incident.

DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A Decatur family is displaced after firefighters responded to a fire at an apartment complex Wednesday morning.

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The building is in the area of South Main and West Washington Streets. The Decatur Fire Department posted photos of the incident on its social media page. In the images, fire and smoke can be seen pouring from windows of the complex.

  • Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the Decatur Fire Department.
    Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the Decatur Fire Department.
  • Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the Decatur Fire Department.
    Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the Decatur Fire Department.
  • Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the Decatur Fire Department.
    Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the Decatur Fire Department.
  • Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the Decatur Fire Department.
    Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the Decatur Fire Department.

A parent and two children were in their apartment during the fire, but they were able to escape safely.

Officials said no one was hurt in the fire, though the family’s apartment and their belongings were not salvageable.

The American Red Cross is working to help the displaced family.

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