A fundraiser has been created for a family of seven who was displaced from their Round Lake last week after their neighbor’s burning leaves got out of control and caught their home on fire.
The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2 p.m. on October 11 to the 24700 block of Clinton Avenue in unincorporated Round Lake for a report of a structure fire.
A resident was burning leaves in their yard when the fire spread to their neighbor’s house, Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Eric Hair said.
Firefighters arrived and found heavy fire and smoke coming from the rear of the two-story house.
Crews quickly contained the fire and stopped it from spreading to a nearby residence, Hair said.
A total of three hose lines were deployed and water tenders were used because the area had no fire hydrants.
Around 12,000 gallons of water were shuttled to the scene, Hair said.
The fire was brought under control around 20 minutes after firefighters arrived.
They worked for another hour to extinguish hotspots, Hair said.
No one was injured and the residents of the affected house were not home when crews arrived.
The house is uninhabitable, Hair said. A damage estimate was not available.
Round Lake Beach resident Jamie Fred said that her sister and her husband, who have five children, arrived home to find their house on fire.
The home sustained fire, smoke and water damage and destroyed the children’s belongings.
The family, who is staying with relatives right now, did not have homeowner’s insurance.
“They will be staying at my mothers house and I would like to try to get them clothes and necessities as the parents are trying their best right now to keep it together,” Fred said on a GoFundMe page.
The fundraiser has collected over $1,000 for the family and has a goal of $10,000.
Fire officials said that open burning of non-woody yard waste, like leaves and grass, is prohibited at all times in unincorporated Lake County.
The Lake County Board approved new burning restrictions in January, which went into effect in June.
Unincorporated residents are permitted to burn woody yard waste, like sticks, branches and tree limbs, annually from November 1 to March 31.
Burning garbage, refuse or construction materials remains prohibited in unincorporated Lake County.
The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District was assisted at the scene by the Grayslake, Fox Lake, Wauconda, Lake Villa and Gurnee fire departments.
The Mundelein and McHenry Township fire departments provided coverage for the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District during the incident.