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Elgin 'Tent City' fire damages multiple structures, cause under investigation

By Cody King
Published  January 12, 2025 6:08pm CST
Elgin
FOX 32 Chicago

The Brief

    • A fire tore through several structures at Elgin's "Tent City" homeless encampment Saturday night, with no injuries reported.
    • The fire broke out at 10:46 p.m. near State and Kimball streets, engulfing four to five structures in a 1,000-square-foot area.
    • The cause of the fire is under investigation.

ELGIN, Ill. - A massive fire tore through several structures at the "Tent City" homeless encampment in Elgin Saturday night, prompting a large response from emergency crews.

What we know

The fire broke out at 10:46 p.m. near State and Kimball streets, according to Elgin officials. 

Firefighters found four to five structures fully engulfed in flames in a 1,000-square-foot area.

The flames were extinguished around midnight, and no injuries were reported.

Several fires have been reported at Elgin's ‘Tent City’ since early December. It's a wooded area where an estimated 20-40 unhorsed individuals live in tents or makeshift shelters.

What we don't know 

The cause of the fire is under investigation. We'll bring more updates to this story as they become available.

The Source

  • The information in this article was provided by the City of Elgin.

ElginNews