EDGEWATER — A fire broke out Wednesday in the apartments above the former Hamilton's Bar near Loyola University, officials said.
The fire had been contained to the second floor of the two-story building at 6341 N. Sheridan Road bought by Loyola University late last year, said Bill Sherry, director of facilities at the school.
"The fire was contained to second-floor apartments, which house nine Loyola students. No one was injured, and the Chicago Fire Department quickly arrived on the scene to extinguish the fire," Sherry said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, but a Loyola police officer said the blaze started as a grease fire.
Several fire trucks were on the scene, and police blocked all northbound lanes of Broadway between Devon and Rosemont avenues.
The fire started about 8:45 a.m., officials said.
Matt Fisher, owner of River North's Bistronomic, said the first floor of the building, where he plans to open 63 Bar and Grill in the spring, was "unaffected" by the fire.
Hamilton's Bar — nicknamed "Hammies" by the throngs of college students who patronized the neighborhood institution since it opened 80 years ago — closed its doors in October after Loyola bought the building from the bar's owners.
The university is working to find alternate housing for the displaced students, school officials said.
