The community is raising funds for a longtime nurse and her family who were left displaced after their house sustained extensive damage in a fire near McHenry Monday afternoon.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded around 12:05 p.m. Monday to the 2000 block of West Oakleaf Drive in unincorporated McHenry for a report of a structure fire.
Firefighters arrived in four minutes to find heavy flames on the side of the house, according to McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Kevin Sears.
Sears said the fire was extending into the second-floor bedrooms and attic.
The incident was upgraded to a Working Fire response to bring additional fire crews to the scene.
Firefighters quickly began working to extinguish the fire from both the inside and outside.
They also conducted searches of the home for a resident who was reported to still be in the house at the time of the fire, Sears said.
It was later confirmed that all occupants had evacuated before the arrival of the fire department.
Sears said the fire caused extensive heat, smoke and water damage throughout the home, leaving it uninhabitable.
There were no resident or firefighter injuries. Smoke detectors were present but did not alert the occupants to the fire.
The Antioch, Cary, Fox Lake, Nunda, Richmond, Round Lake, Spring Grove, Wauconda and Wonder Lake fire departments responded to the scene or covered McHenry fire stations during the incident.
The home belonged to Kelly and Eddie Klein, whose two children live with them. Kelly Klein is a longtime nurse who served in the armed forces.
“The Klein family has served our local community for decades and our country as well. If you know them you know they are the most generous and joy filled people,” Rhianna Brinkmann said.
“They would never ever ask for help but what an opportunity to show them love and support,” Brinkmann said.
A fundraiser has collected over $5,000 for the family from over 50 donors.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown and remains under investigation by the McHenry Township Fire Protection District.