Springfield Fire Dept. battles two fires within 12 hours

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Springfield Fire Department responded to a pair of fires just 12 hours apart on Monday and Tuesday. One prompted a partial high-rise building evacuation and the other left eight children displaced.

Department officials said the first fire happened Monday at 11:28 p.m. at the Hildebrandt High Rise on 8th Street. They determined it was a cooking fire, caused by food that was left on the stove of a seventh-floor unit. The building’s sprinkler system activated and kept the fire contained to the unit of origin until firefighters could fully extinguish it with hoses.

The building was partially evacuated during the fire and one person was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation, officials added. The person living in the unit where the fire happened was displaced and is receiving assistance from the American Red Cross and the Springfield Housing Authority.

Also receiving assistance from the Red Cross are the two adults and eight children who were displaced by the second fire, which happened in a home on Carpenter Street. Firefighters responded at noon and were able to contain the flames to a second-floor bedroom.

There were eight children and one adult at home when the fire happened, officials said. They all made it out safely.

The cause of the Carpenter Street fire is under investigation.

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