A family was left displaced after a fire broke out in the basement of their Highland Park home and spread, leaving firefighters battling the fire in sub-zero temperatures Tuesday.
The Highland Park Fire Department responded around 9:38 a.m. Tuesday to the 1200 block of Taylor Avenue for a report of a structure fire.
The homeowner was home at the time and reported the fire by calling 911 while evacuating, according to Highland Park Fire Chief Joe Schrage.
Firefighters arrived in three minutes and found smoke coming from the side of the residence.
The incident was upgraded to bring multiple fire departments from the area to the scene.
Highland Park firefighters extinguished most of the fire with a pump can but due to the construction of the home, the fire was able to spread to the first floor through the void space, Schrage said.
They had to open up walls above the area of the fire to expose the extension and extinguish it.
Schrage said the fire was under control within 10 minutes of firefighters arriving at the scene but firefighters continued to conduct overhaul operations afterwards.
They remained at the scene until around 11:15 a.m. Temperatures were several degrees below zero at the time.
The family was displaced from the home as it was deemed uninhabitable, Schrage said.
No injuries were reported to residents or firefighters. No pets were in the home.
Buffalo Grove, Countryside, Deerfield-Bannockburn, Glenview, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Long Grove and Winnetka fire departments responded to the scene or covered Highland Park fire stations.
The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental.