Good Samaritans helped save vintage sports cars and firefighters rescued two dogs after a fire caused significant damage to a house in Wonder Lake, leaving a family homeless Thursday morning.
The Wonder Lake Fire Protection District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 11:35 a.m. Thursday to the 7400 block of Salem Road in Wonder Lake for a report of a structure fire.
Wonder Lake Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Chris Kozel said firefighters arrived on the scene in less than two minutes and found a single-family, raised ranch-style house.
Smoke was coming from the roof and flames were coming from the rear deck.
Some tradesmen were working in the neighborhood and driving past the house when they noticed the fire, Kozel said.
The workers called 911 and soon after worked alongside the fire department in removing several vintage sports cars from the garage of the home.
The Mustang cars were not damaged, Kozel said. The residents were not home at the time of the fire.
A Working Fire response upgrade was requested to bring numerous fire departments to the scene to help extinguish the fire.
Kozel said two large dogs were still inside the home and were quickly located by firefighters and removed from the burning structure.
The house sustained heavy smoke and fire damage throughout the second floor and roof.
The fire was brought under control in approximately 20-25 minutes, Kozel said.
It was deemed uninhabitable and the family of three, along with their two dogs, was left displaced.
The American Red Cross was notified and responded to assist them. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.
The McHenry, Spring Grove, Hebron, Harvard, Wauconda, Richmond, Woodstock, Crystal Lake, Cary and Marengo fire departments assisted during the incident.
Kozel said investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire but it is possible that the fire started accidentally through discarded smoking materials.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Wonder Lake Fire Protection District.