CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — Champaign County has seen three apartment complex fires in a little more than a week. 

Now, officials say it’s time to go on the offensive — taking steps to protect against flames that could be as close as next door.

“You don’t know what your neighbor’s doing,” Ryan Reynolds, Illinois Fire Service Institute assistant director of firefighting, said. “Being in an apartment complex, you may be right next door to somebody that isn’t as careful as you are.”

The Illinois Fire Service Institute trains firefighters across the state for every kind of fire.

Reynolds said the big thing with any multi-unit housing fire is the ability for flames to quickly spread from floor to floor, and then room to room.

Firefighters are up against the clock trying to learn the make-up of the building while simultaneously extinguishing flames.

“The building may from the outside look like a normal single-family house, but that could be converted into four different apartments, six apartments, [or] eight apartments,” Reynolds said.

Getting the lay of the land is key in fighting fires where the number of stories, rooms and people start off as unknowns.

“We do a 360, we walk around the building,” Reynolds said. “We look to see how many mailboxes there are, how many doorbells there are. That can kind of give a hint.”

Champaign County has been affected by three apartment complex fires in a little more than a week.

The first happened Jan. 25 near W. White St. and S. Country Fair Dr. in Champaign. The second — just two days later — happened near S. Cottage Grove Ave. and E. Harding Dr. in Urbana.

The latest happened Monday near Philo Rd. and River St. in Urbana.

“The challenges that come with that [are] the rescues [and] getting hose lines in place,” Reynolds said. “It compounds everything. It’s not just a single level where you go in, you have to take all these factors into account.”

For the people inside and next door, Reynolds said preventative measures like smoke detectors are key in staying safe.

“Smoke detectors are proven they do save lives,” Reynolds said. “Push that button every so often, once a month, to make sure that it works. Don’t become immune to it. Let that smoke detector be there for you.”

He said having fire extinguishers and alternate exit plans are also ways to stay ready if flames spark.

“Taking that extra time to check that smoke detector, check that fire extinguisher to have a second way out, [having] that in the back of your mind will pay dividends in the event of an emergency,” Reynolds said. “You will know what to do, you will have that plan in place and it will be second nature.”