STREATOR – Residents were displaced after a smokey fire in an apartment in Streator on Saturday. The Streator and Grand Ridge Fire Departments were called to the 200 block of South Bloomington Street around 4:30 PM for a house fire that may have individuals in the upstairs apartment. Crews arrived in under two minutes and began searching the structure for occupants and battling the blaze. During the search for potential victims in the smoke filled building, a Streator firefighter experienced an equipment malfunction. The firefighter was rescued quickly by fellow firefighters with no injuries. It was determined later nobody was in the building. The fire was brought under control in less than 10 minutes. The home suffered minor fire and water damage but was determined to be uninhabitable due to major smoke damage. The American Red Cross was on scene to assist the residents. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Streator Fire Department, Streator Police Department, and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.
