1 injured in Orland Park, Illinois, townhouse fire; firefighters hampered by hoarding
One person was injured this weekend in a townhome fire in the southwest Chicago suburb of Orland Park, which officials said may have been exacerbated by hoarding.
The Orland Fire Protection District was called Saturday afternoon for the fire in a two-story, four-unit townhome complex the 9100 block of Greencastle Lane in Orland Park. Firefighters arrived at 1:43 p.m.
There was no obvious evidence that the townhouse complex was on fire when firefighters arrived, but they later found a basement fire involving the end unit of the complex, the district said.
All occupants were evacuated from the attached townhouses as firefighters went in. They entered the front door with a hose, but found "mounds of obstacles" in the way, the district said.
Fire crews found what were believed to be heavy hoarding conditions obstructing the path to the basement, the district said. Multiple crews had to come in to clear everything out of the way to get to the fire.
One homeowner was treated for a minor head injury, but declined to go to the hospital, the district said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation Sunday.