Residents were left homeless after a fire that broke out in a room and caused smoke damage throughout a house near McHenry Monday evening, fire officials said.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:50 p.m. Monday to the 2700 block of West Russett Road in unincorporated McHenry for a report of a structure fire.
A 911 caller reported an electrical fire started in the office of their residence and they saw smoke and flames.
McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Chris Kozel said fire crews arrived in six minutes to find a two-story, single-family house with smoke showing from the front door.
Two occupants had safely evacuated the home prior to the fire department’s arrival.
Kozel said firefighters immediately initiated an interior attack on the fire while also searching for any potential victims.
The fire was confined to a single room and extinguished in less than 10 minutes, Kozel said.
Several walls in the room were overhauled to fully extinguish the fire.
Smoke damage was present throughout the remainder of the home, leaving it uninhabitable until smoke remediation can be completed, Kozel said.
Kozel said no injuries were reported to any residents or firefighters.
A fish tank was destroyed by the fire but it is unknown if any fish were inside. A dog was safely evacuated with the residents.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by fire investigators with the McHenry Township Fire Protection District.