It took firefighters, who were working in sub-zero temperatures, hours to extinguish a three-alarm fire that left a house in Waukegan with significant damage Friday evening.
The Waukegan Fire Department responded around 5:30 p.m. Friday to the 500 block of North Poplar Street for a report of a structure fire.
Waukegan Fire Marshal Todd Zupec told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that a 911 caller reported smoke and flames coming from the rear of the residence.
Fire crews were met with heavy fire upon arrival.
The fire had to be fought mostly from the exterior due to the windy conditions, Zupec said.
The response was escalated to a second and third alarm through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS).
Multiple fire departments from Lake and Kenosha counties responded to the scene and covered Waukegan stations to handle other calls in the city.
The MABAS upgrade was due to the extreme weather conditions, Zupec said.
None of the occupants were home at the time of the fire.
The house suffered significant damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.