A sheriff’s deputy on patrol spotted a house on fire overnight in Gages Lake and helped evacuate the residents. The home was declared a total loss, fire officials said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that a deputy was on patrol around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday and came across a house on fire in the 33700 block of Evergreen Drive in Gages Lake.
The Grayslake Fire Protection District was called to the scene and the deputy ran to the house to confirm the residents evacuated.
The deputy and his partner then evacuated the adjacent homes. Firefighters arrived to find a two-story home with heavy fire throughout the structure.
Grayslake Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Joris Lillge said that initial reports indicated there was a person trapped but it was quickly determined by police that everyone had escaped the home.
Crews began extinguishing the fire and the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to bring additional personnel and equipment to the scene, Lillge said.
Heavy fire and collapse of the second floor prevented firefighters from entering the home. Lillge said they had to take a defensive strategy using multiple hose lines.
The fire was extinguished an hour and a half later by around 2:48 a.m. and the home and contents were declared a total loss.
There were no injuries to the residents or firefighters. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Damage was estimated at $180,000. Firefighters from Round Lake, Gurnee, Fox Lake, Libertyville, Mundelein, Wauconda and Countryside assisted at the scene.
The Antioch, Newport, Beach Park, Lake Zurich and Wauconda fire departments covered additional calls in Grayslake during the fire.