Mechanical issues with fire engines plagued firefighters who struggled to control a fire at a home in Harvard Sunday evening, leading to a total loss of the house.
The Harvard Fire Protection District was called at 12:05 p.m. Sunday to the 19000 block of Altenburg Road, which is east of Harvard along Route 173, for a report of a house fire.
The fire is believed to have started in a bathroom of the two-story house and then spread to the attic. Firefighters were having issues getting water on the fire after two of their fire engines reportedly experienced mechanical problems, leading the fire to spread rapidly and fully engulf the home.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was utilized and upgraded to a fifth alarm, bringing additional fire crews and water tankers from through McHenry County to the scene.
The home is set back on a 300 foot driveway and the area has no fire hydrants so water had to be brought in by water tanker trucks. Everyone escaped the home but the homeowner suffered minor injuries and was transported to Mercy Harvard Hospital.
As of 3:45 p.m., firefighters are continuing to work at the scene to extinguish the fire. Investigators are working to determine a cause of the fire, which is not believed to be suspicious in nature, officials said.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
If you blow the picture up you can see a face !!!