A firefighter was injured and transported to the hospital while battling a fire that caused severe damage to a house, leaving the residents displaced, in Zion Saturday evening, fire officials said.
The Zion Fire Rescue Department responded around 5:42 p.m. Saturday to the 3600 block of Harbor Ridge Drive in Zion for a report of a structure fire.
Zion Fire Rescue Department Chief Justin Stried said crews arrived to find heavy flames and smoke showing from the rear of a two-story residence.
Some Zion firefighters and paramedics were already on a separate medical call at the time of the fire, which complicated the response.
Firefighters quickly stretched hose lines to attack the fire, Stried said.
The occupants of the home reported that all residents had evacuated and were safely accounted for.
A Working Still Alarm response was dispatched, bringing additional firefighters to assist at the scene as well as covering Zion fire stations for other calls.
Stried said firefighters conducted searches of the home to verify no one was still inside.
They established a water supply, extinguished the fire, ventilated the home and ensured the fire was completely out.
A firefighter was treated and transported to Froedtert South Medical Center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, for a leg injury.
The firefighter was not admitted and is home doing well, Stried said.
Fire investigators are still reviewing scene information and statements from home occupants and a cause of the fire has not been determined yet. The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal assisted at the scene.
Stried said the home sustained severe damage but firefighters did an “outstanding job” in containing the fire to the first floor.
A preliminary building and contents loss was estimated at $200,000 and the residents were displaced.
The Beach Park, Gurnee, Winthrop Harbor, Pleasant Prairie, Newport, Libertyville, North Chicago and Antioch fire departments assisted at the scene or covered calls in Zion.
Zion ESDA volunteers responded to help with traffic control and provide refreshments for personnel. The Zion Police Department assisted with traffic control and the scene investigation.
“Fortunately for the residents and occupants of this fire, smoke alarms were present and audible during fire suppression operations. This serves as a good reminder that everyone should check their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to ensure they are in working order,” Stried said.
The Zion Fire & Rescue Department participates in the Be Alarmed smoke alarm program, providing free smoke detectors to residents.