Officials are recognizing an off-duty Buffalo Grove firefighter who broke down a door and rescued a trapped dog from a house fire in Round Lake last week.
The Fox Lake Fire Protection District responded at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday to the 25000 block of Route 120 in Round Lake for a report of a structure fire.
Fox Lake Battalion Fire Chief Larry VanHoorelbeke told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that an off-duty Buffalo Grove firefighter was driving by when he spotted the fire and called 911.
The off-duty firefighter, identified as Adam Schroeder, got out of his vehicle and walked around the house.
He began knocking on doors while calling out and listening for potential occupants.
Schroeder heard a dog barking behind a door so he kicked the door in and freed the dog from the burning home as firefighters were arriving.
“Kudos to Adam for this most heroic gesture. You make BG proud!” the Village of Buffalo Grove said.
No one else was inside the house at the time, VanHoorelbeke said. The home is just east of Wilson Road on Route 120.
Firefighters arrived and confirmed smoke and flames were visible from the house.
Initial crews made an aggressive interior fire attack and brought the fire under control within 15 minutes, VanHoorelbeke said.
There were no injuries and the dog was released to the owner.
The fire originally started in the kitchen, VanHoorelbeke added.
Damage was estimated at over $150,000 and the house is uninhabitable.
The fire remains under investigation by the Fox Lake Fire Protection District.