Over a dozen fire departments were called and firefighters rescued two cats after a fire fully engulfed a garage and spread to a house in Spring Grove Monday morning.
The Spring Grove Fire Protection District responded around 5:52 a.m. Monday to the 200 block of James Road in Spring Grove for a report of a structure fire.
Spring Grove Fire Chief Paul Klicker said fire crews arrived to find a garage attached to a single-family home that was fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters went inside and conducted searches while simultaneously using hose lines to bring the fire under control.
Firefighters had water on the fire within a minute of arriving, Klicker said.
The house is located in an area that does not have fire hydrants and rural water supply operations were established.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level to bring additional fire departments to the scene.
All occupants of the home were able to evacuate on their own and call 911 to report the fire.
Klicker said firefighters rescued two cats from the burning home and brought the fire under control quickly.
The service door from the inside of the house to the garage opened sometime during the fire, causing the blaze to extend to the kitchen area of the house.
The bedroom doors in the house were closed, which helped minimize smoke damage, Klicker said.
The structure sustained significant damage and was deemed uninhabitable, leaving the family displaced.
Smoke detectors in the home alerted the residents to the fire. Klicker said he recommends all residents ensure they have working smoke detectors.
The Antioch, Cary, Fox Lake, Gurnee, Harvard, Hebron, Lake Villa, McHenry, Nunda Rural, Randall, Richmond, Round Lake, Salem, Twin Lakes, Wauconda, Wonder Lake and Woodstock fire departments assisted at the scene or covered Spring Grove’s fire station.
The Salvation Army Canteen from Crystal Lake responded to the scene to provide rehab to the firefighters.
Klicker said the cause of the fire is currently undetermined and remains under investigation by the Spring Grove Fire Protection District.