The village's Department of Human Services gave the children toys after notifying the Red Cross that the family needed shelter, said Deputy Fire Chief Chris Truty.
"The gifts were donated in the last couple days," Truty said. "It's not something we typically keep on hand."
The family was awakened about 4 a.m. by the smell of smoke in their third-floor apartment in the 300 block of West Hawthorne Circle, Truty said.
Mother and daughters locked themselves in the bedroom after feeling heat on the door and called 911. They escaped uninjured through their window down a Fire Department ladder, Truty said.
"They stayed in the room (and) did a nice job protecting themselves," Truty said.
Firefighters extinguished the fire and left the scene by about 5:15 a.m. The cause was under investigation.
The fire-damaged apartment isn't habitable, but Truty said other tenants were being permitted to remain in the building. The Red Cross was helping the family, he said.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
