Three people were arrested after a man allegedly hosted an underage drinking party where fireworks reportedly caused a house fire in McHenry, leaving the home significantly damaged.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and McHenry Police Department responded around 10:21 p.m. Friday to the 5000 block of Pyndale Drive in McHenry for a report of a structure fire.
McHenry Township Fire Protection District Acting Battalion Chief Chris Gumm said firefighters arrived in four and a half minutes to find smoke showing from a single-family residence.
Firefighters entered the home and quickly located and extinguished the fire within 15 minutes of arrival.
They also conducted searches of the home. All occupants had evacuated prior to the fire department arriving, Gumm said.
An occupant of the home was evaluated at the scene by paramedics and transported by ambulance to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry with non-life-threatening injuries.
No firefighters were injured. Gumm said the home sustained significant damage and was deemed uninhabitable.
Police arrested three people as a result of the incident, including Hedgar Gomez-Lopez, 19, of McHenry, according to McHenry Police Department Public Affairs Officer Ashley O’Herron.
Gomez-Lopez lives at the home where the fire occurred. He was charged with contributing to the criminal delinquency of a minor and consumption of liquor by a minor.
He was also issued an adjudication citation for possession of fireworks, O’Herron said.
The two other arrests included someone driving under the influence and a juvenile for obstruction.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Gomez-Lopez aided and encouraged a minor to be delinquent by hosting a party at his home where alcohol was provided to guests who were under 21.
The complaint said the structure fire ensued as a result of fireworks.
O’Herron said it was not known exactly how many people attended the party. She also said the cause of the fire has not been ruled yet.
The Cary, Crystal Lake, Fox Lake, Nunda, Salvation Army Canteen, Spring Grove, Wauconda, Wonder Lake and Woodstock fire departments assisted at the scene or covered calls for McHenry during the incident.
An initial 911 caller indicated fireworks were involved in the incident, fire officials said, adding that the report cannot be confirmed yet.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the McHenry Township Fire Protection District and the McHenry Police Department.