A family was able to safely evacuate and save their pets after a fire broke out and quickly spread throughout their house, leaving them displaced, near Antioch Sunday afternoon.
The Antioch Fire Department responded around 4:54 p.m. Sunday to the 40900 block of North Gridley Road in unincorporated Antioch for a report of a structure fire.
The homeowners called 911 to report their house on fire and neighbors who saw smoke also called 911 to report the incident.
Antioch Fire Department Battalion Chief Ryan Keefe said firefighters arrived to find a two-story single-family house with flames and smoke coming from the rear of the structure.
The homeowners were home at the time of the fire and were able to evacuate. They also saved all of their pets before the fire department arrived.
Firefighters immediately began extinguishing the fire but had to wait for additional water from fire department tanker trucks to arrive, Keefe said.
The home is located in an area that does not have any fire hydrants.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level to bring additional fire departments to the scene due to the extent of the fire and the water supply needs.
The Round Lake, Fox Lake, Lake Villa, Round Lake, Newport, Zion, Spring Grove and Salem fire departments responded.
Keefe said firefighters worked for approximately two hours to extinguish the fire and conduct overhaul operations to extinguish hidden fires.
The family that was living in the home was left displaced after the house was deemed uninhabitable due to the damage.
No injuries were reported to any residents, pets or firefighters. The fire began on the rear exterior of the home on the ground level, Keefe said.
Firefighters used approximately 10,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire, which caused extensive damage to the rear of the home and burned up through the roof line.
There was also smoke and water damage throughout the home, Keefe said.
The fire is believed to be accidental but the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Antioch, Lake Villa, Round Lake and Newport fire departments.