A family of six was displaced from their home in McHenry after a fire left the house uninhabitable and destroyed their belongings Tuesday afternoon.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded around 12:02 p.m. Tuesday to the 1000 block of North River Rd in McHenry for a report of a structure fire.
Firefighters arrived in three minutes to find a single-story home with heavy smoke coming from the roof.
McHenry Township Fire Protection District Acting Battalion Chief Josh Olmstead said crews began an aggressive fire attack while simultaneously searching the residence for occupants.
It was determined that all occupants had exited the structure prior to the fire department’s arrival.
The fire was contained to the house and was brought under control within 20 minutes, Olmstead said.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated for other fire departments to cover McHenry stations.
No residents or firefighters were injured in the fire.
The American Red Cross was requested because the home was deemed uninhabitable, Olmstead said.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation and a damage estimate was unavailable.
Odalis Garcia and Eder Martinez, along with their four children, are currently staying with family, which is “way over crowded,” one of their relatives told Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
The four children include a 2-month-old baby boy, a 4-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy and a 7-year-old boy.
The family “lost everything” and cannot return home after the fire, the relative said.
The family said they have received many donations for clothes and other personal belongings but are hoping to raise money to help rent a new home.
A GoFundMe account has raised almost $300 with a goal of $8,000.