A fire caused significant damage to a Zion home early Saturday morning and left two firefighters with exhaustion related conditions, according to fire officials.
The Zion Fire and Rescue Department and Zion Police Department responded around 12:35 a.m. Saturday to the 3000 block of Elim Avenue for a report of a structure fire.
Police officers confirmed all occupants exited the home safely and firefighters arrived to find heavy fire coming from multiple windows on the south side of the structure, Zion Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Eric Troy said.
“Due to snowy conditions, response from other area departments was slightly delayed. This home was an older home that utilized balloon construction. Although balloon construction is sturdy, it has limited built in fire stops which allows fire to spread to other areas very quickly,” Troy said.
The alarm was elevated to bring neighboring fire departments to the scene, and then upgraded again through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to bring in many more fire departments because of the weather conditions, Troy said.
Firefighters used numerous hose lines to extinguish the fire, which was described as “labor intensive.” A neighboring home sustained heat damage due to the large volume of fire that was adjacent to the building. Troy said.
Two firefighters were evaluated at the scene by paramedics for exhaustion related conditions but were not hospitalized. No one else was injured.
Occupants of the home received assistance from friends and family with temporary living arrangements. The home sustained significant internal damage and the fire remains under investigation.