Nearly a dozen folks were displaced from their homes on Sunday following a fire in the utility room of a four-unit apartment building at 2207 Annabelle Court, the Chesterton Fire Department said.

No one, however, was injured.

Capt. Jamie Hicks told the Chesterton Tribune today that, at 1:18 p.m., the CFD and numerous other departments were dispatched to the complex after a fire in the first-floor utility room and common area—containing washer, dryer, and hot-water heater—filled the four units with smoke.

Responding after a first alarm was activated were the Porter, Burns Harbor, Liberty Township, Beverly Shores, Valparaiso, and Washington Township fire departments, Hicks said. Also on the scene: Porter hospital EMS, the Chesterton Police Department, and the Porter County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Only around 500 gallons of water were needed to extinguish the fire, Hicks said, but extensive overhaul was conducted to ensure that there was no extension.

No one was injured, including a cat found alive and apparently in good shape in an upstairs unit, Hicks said. But the building’s eight to 10 residents were displaced and forced to find other accommodations on Sunday after firefighters shut off electricity and water to the building.

No estimate of damage was available. Hicks did say that “there was smoke damage throughout the entire complex.”

The cause of the fire is believed to have been an electrical problem in the ceiling of the utility room, CFD Lt. Brandon Smith told the Tribune.

The CFD cleared the scene at 4:22 p.m.

Posted 2/18/2013