Firefighters responded twice Wednesday evening to a fire at a home in Cary that left the residence uninhabitable, officials said.
The Cary Fire Protection District responded around 7:42 p.m. Wednesday to the 900 block of Crabtree Lane in Cary for a report of a house fire.
Firefighters arrived six minutes later and found only a slight odor of smoke, according to Cary Fire Protection District Lt. Michael Douglass.
Firefighters began searching for the source of the odor and found it was coming from an inside electrical panel.
Small amounts of light smoke were seen slowly puffing out of the top of the panel box, Douglass said.
Interior and exterior walls were checked for fire extension using a thermal imaging camera but no fire or abnormal heat was found.
The house was equipped with a smart meter and ComEd shut the power off remotely.
“After the power was turned off, the smoke dissipated with no further smoke seen coming from the electric panel. The house walls were rechecked for any fire extension with none noted,” Douglass said.
The family decided to stay overnight with a neighbor due to the power being shut off.
Two hours later, firefighters were dispatched again to the same location for another call of a house fire.
Firefighters arrived and initially found nothing showing from the front and sides of the house, Douglass said.
Firefighters began investigating and found the exterior smart meter was burning.
A dry chemical fire extinguisher was used on the meter but the fire had already extended through the walls into the interior of the home, Douglass said.
Firefighters quickly extended hose lines and began an interior attack. The fire was extinguished in approximately 20 minutes.
No injuries were reported. A damage estimate was not immediately available but the house had smoke and water damage throughout.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Firefighters from Algonquin-Lake in the Hills, Barrington, Barrington-Countryside, Fox River Grove and Nunda-Rural fire departments responded to the scene and covered calls in Cary.