Fire officials say a home under renovation was destroyed after it became engulfed in flames during an extra-alarm fire near McHenry early Tuesday morning.
The Nunda Rural Fire Protection District responded around 3:22 a.m. Tuesday to the 2500 block of South Justen Road in unincorporated McHenry for a report of a residential structure fire.
Nunda Rural Fire Protection District Communication Specialist Alex Vucha said the fire was initially reported to 911 by a passerby who saw flames from the roadway.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was immediately activated to the second alarm level for additional resources due to the report of a fully engulfed home.
Firefighters arrived on the scene within 10 minutes and found heavy flames showing from a medium-sized residential structure, Vucha said.
Firefighters began working to extinguish the fire from the outside, known as a defensive operation. The house had already begun collapsing.
Vucha said a coordinated firefighting effort and water supply operation led to the fire being declared under control at 4:43 a.m.
Representatives from both Nicor and ComEd were requested to the scene to secure utilities to the house.
The entire structure and contents are considered a complete loss, Vucha said.
The house was in the process of being remodeled and was unoccupied when the fire began.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
“We greatly appreciated the assistance from McHenry Township Fire Protection District and the nearly two dozen neighboring agencies who assisted with the incident,” Vucha said.
Justen Road between Barreville Road and Wright Road was shut down during the incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Nunda Rural Fire Protection District.