Ten families were forced out of their apartments when water flooded throughout trouble-plagued DeKalb Center Wednesday afternoon as firefighters put out a smoldering fire in one of the walls of the apartment damaged in Tuesday’s fire.

Complex owner and manager Joe Navillo estimated the damage to the 1100 W. Lincoln Hwy. building to be about $100,000. Most of the damage resulted from water that came from a ruptured water pipe, he said.

Assistant Fire Chief Reuben Nelson said the water damage came from both the broken water pipe and the water used to put out the fire—about 300 to 400 gallons worth.

Nelson said preliminary reports indicated the pipe rupture was caused when heat from the fire melted a soldered joint.

However, Navillo said the Fire Department broke the pipe when they broke through the wall to get at the fire.

Nelson said firefighters might have broken the pipe when they went through the wall but it couldn’t have been avoided. Rick Monas, assistant director of Building and Community Services, also said it’s “not anything uncommon” for this to happen.

The cellulose fiberboard in one the walls of Room 507, the apartment that burned Tuesday, smoldered since Tuesday night, causing it to heat up into flames at about 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, said Bill Nicklas, DeKalb Building and Community Services director.

Nelson said firefighters were convinced the fire was out Tuesday but it seemed to have lingered in a concealed place.

Nicklas and Navillo both said the fiberboard is flammable but met building code standards for the interior wall.

Ten families relocated because of apartment damage, Nicklas said. Kathy Glascock, director of the disaster committee of the Red Cross, said seven of the families are staying at the Motel 6, 1116 W. Lincoln Hwy. while others are staying with area friends and family.

One of those forced to move to Motel 6 was Herb Jones, whose Room 203 apartment was damaged by the water.

“The kitchen is pretty messed up but everything else seems OK,” Jones said.

Firefighters were surprised to discover no “firestopping” foam material lining the water pipes, only the empty space where it should have been, Nicklas said. Nelson also said the building had no firestops in the plumbing system, which created airpockets in the wall.

“The building was questionably constructed, especially for a high-rise,” Nelson said.

The lack of the sealing foam might have contributed to Wednesday’s flare-up because the empty space fed the smoldering wall with air, Nelson said.

Although the lack of foam wasn’t the immediate cause of Wednesday’s wall fire, it might constitute a code violation, Nicklas said. The previous Building and Community Services director should have discovered the violation when the building was revamped in 1984, he said.

Navillo said, however, that he was sure the building had met all fire code requirements before the fire occurred and all firestopping materials were present.

Fire Department Lt. Pete Polarek said the fire was out by between 3 and 3:30 p.m. and that salvage operations on the rooms were in progress.

Monas said a total of 13 apartments were damaged either by water or fire and efforts are being made clean up the damage to allow people to move back in as soon as possible.

Sixth Ward Ald. James Pennington said the DeKalb Center building has a history of problems and said he is concerned about future problems there.

“I would like to see the building leveled to the ground,” Pennington said.

In addition to the Red Cross, other DeKalb area services helped the tenants through the disaster, including the Salvation Army, which brought food and drink.

Nicklas said Drury Plumbing, 531 Best Ave., and Mascal Electric, 1888 State St., also had been especially helpful during the crisis.