A multi-agency investigation is underway after a home sustained significant damage in a fire near Marengo and a second house fire started across the street around the same time.
The Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 9:52 p.m. Monday to the 18000 block of Millstream Road in unincorporated Marengo for a report of a structure fire.
Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said firefighters arrived and found flames showing from the rear of a single-family residence.
The active fire conditions prompted the incident to be upgraded to a Working Fire response to bring additional resources to the scene.
Firefighters entered the home while other fire crews made their way to the rear of the residence to extinguish flames on the rear deck, Vucha said.
All occupants had safely evacuated the home before firefighters arrived.
Vucha said firefighters quickly extinguished the bulk of the fire but it had already spread into the attic.
They had to open portions of the roof and ceiling to locate and extinguish hidden fire. The fire was declared under control in approximately 45 minutes.
A short time into the incident, occupants from a neighboring home across the street alerted first responders at the scene that their home was also on fire, Vucha said.
The incident was upgraded through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to the box alarm level to bring additional firefighters and water supply resources to the area.
Firefighters responded to the neighboring home and found a small fire on the exterior of the residence.
The homeowner had already extinguished most of the fire before firefighters arrived, Vucha said.
Firefighters removed sections of exterior siding to ensure the fire had not spread to the interior of the home.
Vucha said both homes were occupied at the time of the incidents and all occupants had safely evacuated without injury.
The first house sustained fire damage to the rear deck, attic, roof and portions of the home’s exterior and is considered uninhabitable.
Damage to the second home was limited to the exterior siding and remains habitable, Vucha said.
The circumstances surrounding both fires remain under investigation by the Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.