Police helped escort a resident to safety after a fire broke out and caused significant damage to a house in McHenry, leaving the occupants homeless Monday afternoon.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and McHenry Police Department responded around 4:39 p.m. Monday to the 4900 block of Joyce Court in McHenry for a report of a structure fire.
McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Chris Kozel said firefighters arrived within five minutes.
They reported finding a single-family residence with flames showing on the side of the building and smoke coming from the roofline.
Police officers were already on the scene first and were in the process of escorting an occupant out of the home, Kozel said.
The neighbors spotted the fire, began unsuccessfully attempting to extinguish it with a garden hose and called 911.
Firefighters immediately began an aggressive attack on the fire, Kozel said.
They also simultaneously searched the home for any potential people trapped inside.
Kozel said firefighters extinguished the side of the burning house while making entry into the attic space to fully extinguish the fire.
No injuries were reported to any residents or firefighters. No pets were involved.
Kozel said firefighters contained the bulk of the damage to an exterior wall and a portion of the attic space.
The damage was moderate to severe, with the whole exterior side of the home destroyed and 20% of the attic above the living area damaged, Kozel said.
The home was deemed uninhabitable due to smoke and water damage inside the home.
The Wauconda, Nunda Rural, Round Lake, Wonder Lake, Crystal Lake, Cary, Spring Grove, Woodstock and Fox Lake fire departments assisted at the scene or covered calls in McHenry. The Salvation Army Canteen provided refreshments at the scene.
The fire appeared to originate from an exterior source but an exact cause has not been determined, Kozel said.
The cause of the fire remains under active investigation by the McHenry Township Fire Protection District.