A family was left homeless and a pet bird died after a fire fully engulfed their house, leaving it a total loss, near Waukegan Monday afternoon, fire officials said.
The Gurnee Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 1:53 p.m. Monday to the 12600 block of West Blanchard Road in unincorporated Waukegan for a report of a structure fire.
Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Heraver said Waukegan firefighters arrived first and found heavy flames and smoke showing from a single-family, tri-level house.
Flames were coming from the front of the building and then went through the roof, engulfing the home.
The unincorporated street does not have fire hydrants and firefighters had to connect to a hydrant at Green Bay Road and Blanchard Road, Heraver said.
A fire department tanker truck initially supplied a fire engine with water before crews dropped 1,000 feet of hose from the hydrant to the home.
Firefighters initially went into the home to conduct an offensive attack in extinguishing the fire and attempting to search for victims, Heraver said.
They transitioned to a defensive attack — fighting the fire from the outside — due to the water challenges.
Crews re-entered the home after they had established a positive water supply. It took approximately 20 minutes to bring the fire under control.
In addition to the water challenges, crews also encountered live power lines on the driveway and an active gas leak fueling the fire, Heraver said.
Three residents were home at the time of the fire and they escaped without injury. One of them was evaluated at the scene by paramedics.
A Working Still Alarm was activated to bring the Waukegan, Beach Park, Lake Villa and Newport fire departments to the scene. The Libertyville, Mundelein, Fox Lake and Bristol fire departments covered calls in Gurnee.
Heraver said lots of animals, including birds and chickens, were in the backyard when fire crews arrived. A dog was inside the home but escaped on its own.
Firefighters put up shields to the animals’ cages in the backyard to prevent radiant heat from getting to them and used a hose line to protect them.
The fire appears to have originated in the lower-level laundry area. It is unknown if the fire started from an appliance, Heraver said.
Fire investigators will return to the scene on Tuesday morning to continue the investigation.
The family residing at the home was left displaced as the house was a total loss. The American Red Cross was called to assist them.