A homeowner was able to escape from their home after heavy flames and smoke engulfed the attached garage, destroying two cars inside, in Riverwoods Monday morning.
The Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District responded around 7:20 a.m. Monday to the 1900 block of Rose Terrace in Riverwoods for a report of a structure fire.
Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Steve McCaughey said firefighters were still responding when the homeowner told 911 dispatchers they saw flames in their garage.
The response was upgraded to bring additional fire companies to the scene.
Firefighters arrived to find a large two-story single-family home with heavy flames coming from the three-car attached garage.
McCaughey said firefighters worked hard and kept the main body of the fire to the garage.
Some fire was able to spread into the attic space. Two cars parked in the garage were destroyed.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level for additional fire departments to the scene.
Fire crews opened the interior walls and ceiling above the fire and roof to control and extinguish the fire, McCaughey said.
Only one person was inside the home at the time and they self-evacuated prior to the fire department’s arrival.
The Deerfield, Wheeling, Lake Zurich, Countryside, Libertyville, Lake Forest, Long Grove and Mundelein fire departments assisted during the call.
The Lincolnshire Police Department and Riverwoods Police Department assisted with traffic control.
A damage estimate was not immediately available but the home was deemed uninhabitable due to the damage.
McCaughey said residents should always close their bedroom doors while sleeping to provide a barrier in case of a fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District.