IL Home Destroyed By Wind-Driven Fire
By Carolyn P. Smith
Source Belleville News-Democrat (TNS)
Fire broke out at a Collinsville home early Wednesday morning, totally destroying the structure.
The homeowner was out of town and no one was injured, said Collinsville Fire Chief John Bailot.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Bailot said neighbors near the the property at 6524 Timberlake reported a possible fire at 7:20 a.m.
"They were not sure whether anyone was in the house or not," Bailot said.
When Collinsville 's first units arrived, they saw heavy smoke coming from the back of the two-story house.
"There was heavy dark smoke," Bailot said. "The roof line was on fire. It quickly opened up. There was a lot of fire."
High winds fueled a quick spread of the flames and took the more than 30 firefighters close to 45 minutes to bring the intense fire under control, he said.
"This was a good example of a wind-driven fire," the chief said. "The wind continued to push it. A lot of the structure collapsed ... and the roof line collapsed.
"The fire totally destroyed the home."
Crews from Collinsville, Edwardsville, Maryville, O'Fallon, Fairview Heights, Hollywood Heights worked to fight the blaze, Bailot said.
"It was a team effort with the neighboring departments. We all worked together to put the fire out," he said.
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