Fire officials are crediting working smoke detectors with alerting residents after a fire broke out in the attic of a home in Zion early Friday morning.
The Zion Fire Rescue Department responded around 3:06 a.m. Friday to the 3000 block of Gabriel Avenue in Zion for a report of a structure fire.
Zion Fire Rescue Department Battalion Chief Eric Troy said a 911 caller reported an attic fire.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke from the roof area. All occupants from the home had already exited.
Troy said the initial fire department response was upgraded to bring other fire departments to the scene and to cover Zion fire stations.
The Beach Park, Winthrop Harbor, Pleasant Prairie, Newport, Gurnee, North Chicago, Antioch and Libertyville fire departments assisted during the incident.
Hose lines were pulled and used to begin extinguishing the fire while firefighters connected to a nearby fire hydrant for a continuous water supply.
The fire was found in the attic space and quick-acting firefighters contained and extinguished the fire within minutes of arrival, Troy said.
“This resulted in significantly reduced damage from water/smoke/heat throughout the residence,” he said.
Numerous smoke detectors were beeping throughout the house during the fire.
“Many describe this noise as annoying. We describe this noise as music to our ears when we are working at a fire,” Troy said, adding that the presence of working smoke detectors is very important.
No injuries to any residents or firefighters were reported. Damage was estimated at $35,000.
The residence is temporarily uninhabitable as some repairs are needed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.