An occupant safely escaped after a fire sent flames and smoke erupting from a house, which took firefighters approximately 40 minutes to bring under control, in Riverwoods Thursday afternoon.
The Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District, Lincolnshire Police Department and Riverwoods Police Department responded around 4:53 p.m. Thursday to the 0-10 block of Cherrywood Lane in Riverwoods for a report of a structure fire.
Dispatchers received multiple 911 calls reporting smoke and flames coming from a residence, according to Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Steve McCaughey.
The incident was upgraded to a Confirmed Fire response to bring additional mutual aid fire departments.
Fire crews arrived and encountered a medium-sized, single-family residence with flames coming from the front and side of the home.
Initial reports indicated that an occupant was still possibly inside the home, McCaughey said.
Firefighters began conducting a search and aggressive attack on the fire.
McCaughey said firefighters determined the fire had originated in the basement where they extinguished the main body of fire.
Police officers were able to confirm that the occupant had safely exited the residence already and was at a neighbor’s home.
The fire was brought under control at approximately 5:33 p.m., 40 minutes after the incident was dispatched, McCaughey said.
Fire crews conducted salvage operations to protect the homeowner’s personal property. They ensured the fire was fully extinguished before investigation efforts began.
No injuries were reported to any residents or firefighters, McCaughey said.
The Deerfield-Bannockburn, Lake Forest, Northbrook, Highland Park, Mundelein, Lake Zurich, Buffalo Grove, Countryside, Libertyville, Long Grove and Lake Bluff fire departments assisted.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to bring fire investigators from throughout the area to the scene.
The house was deemed uninhabitable due to the extent of the damage, McCaughey said. A damage estimate was not immediately available.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.