Fire Chief Lance Harris said around 8:10 p.m. his department received a call reporting a kitchen fire in a multi-family unit building.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the resident of the unit where the fire started in front of the building with their dog, suffering from some smoke inhalation and minor burns. The woman was treated by an ambulance and taken to Northwest Community Hospital for treatment where she is stable, Harris said.
Harris said the victim told them they were cooking on the stove in their first floor unit and walked away for a short time, and when they came back a fire had started. He said when firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and some flames coming out of the roof.
Harris said four people in the unit above the apartment where the fire started were trapped on a balcony on the 2nd floor. Buffalo Grove firefighters, who had also responded to the call, used an extended ladder to rescue those four rom the balcony. None of them reported any injuries.
The fire was struck out quickly, but Harris said they were still assessing whether other units were badly damaged and whether the other building residents would be able to get back into their homes.
Harris reminded people not to leave their cooking unattended on the stove. If you must leave the stove, turn off the burner and cover your pots and pans until you return.