A vacant house sustained major damage after becoming engulfed in flames in Waukegan and fire officials say the fire was spotted by an employee at the Waukegan National Airport.
The Waukegan Fire Department responded around 11:30 p.m. on June 6 to the area of Wadsworth Road west of Lewis Avenue in Waukegan for a report of a structure fire.
Waukegan Fire Department Battalion Chief Todd Zupec said an employee from the Waukegan National Airport saw a glow from the tree line and called 911 to report it.
He told dispatchers that the fire was north of the airport beyond the tree line.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames showing from the rear of a residence.
The house was difficult to access due to the long setback and narrow driveway, Zupec said.
Fire crews initiated a defensive attack — working to extinguish the fire from the outside — due to the large volume of fire present.
Zupec said a partial collapse had already occurred on the rear of the building upon the fire department’s arrival.
Firefighters worked to bring the fire under control and access the building as best they could to extinguish the rest of the fire.
The bulk of the fire was extinguished within the first hour. Firefighters spent a considerable amount of time performing overhaul operations to ensure the fire was completely out.
The building was not occupied at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported, Zupec said.
The owners were notified and verified that the house had been vacant for a while.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level for change of quarters units only to cover fire stations in Waukegan during the incident.
The damage to the home was severe and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Zupec said.