Over 40 firefighters were called to help extinguish a fire that heavily damaged a garage attached to a residence along with two cars near Grayslake Monday afternoon.
The Grayslake Fire Protection District responded around 12:40 p.m. Monday to the 17600 block of Knollwood Court in unincorporated Grayslake.
Grayslake Fire Protection District Battalion Chief James Weidman said it was initially reported that a car was on fire inside the garage of a townhome.
Firefighters found heavy fire and smoke conditions from the end unit of a three-unit townhome.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the first alarm level to bring additional fire departments to the scene.
There were 41 firefighters who responded to the scene, Weidman said.
Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to the neighboring units.
The fire was under control in approximately 20 minutes and firefighters stayed on the scene to conduct overhaul and extinguish hot spots.
The home was equipped with a residential sprinkler system which initially held the fire in check until it was overwhelmed by the fire, Weidman said.
One of the sprinkler heads was able to prevent the fire from entering the living space of the home and allowed the two homeowners to escape the residence unharmed.
The sprinkler system limited the fire damage to the home and allowed firefighters to arrive on the scene just after the fire spread outside of the garage, Weidman said.
The two cars inside the garage were a total loss and the estimated damage was $170,000.
The Grayslake Fire Protection District was assisted at the scene by the Round Lake, Lake Villa, Gurnee, Libertyville, Waukegan, Fox Lake and Mundelein fire departments.
The Lake Zurich, Antioch, Newport, Beach Park, Wauconda and Great Lakes fire departments covered calls in Grayslake.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Grayslake Fire Prevention Bureau.