Elgin, Ill. firefighters battled an early-morning fire in a vacant home that was under renovation on Aug. 30.
At 2:49 a.m., crews were dispatched to the house fire on the west side of the city. Three engines, one truck, one ambulance and a battalion chief were assigned.
Engine 3 arrived at 2:53 a.m. and found fire coming from the doors, windows and roof of the kitchen and dining room areas on the B/C corner of the one-story wood-frame dwelling.
An additional ladder truck was assigned as the rapid intervention company and a second ambulance was dispatched for rehabilitation duties.
Engine 2's crews stretched a hoseline to the B/C corner to protect the exposure and help knock down the main volume of fire. The crew from Engine 3 took a hoseline through the garage and into the kitchen, where they encountered heavy fire conditions and positioned their hoseline on the heavy fire.
To cut off the spread of fire, Engine 6's crew pulled a 2 1/2-inch hoseline to the front foyer area. As the company entered the home, they found heavy fire involving the entire attic space of the structure.
At that point, command pulled all companies from the structure for an exterior attack. Bundles of shingles on the roof from the construction project collapsed through the roof minutes later.
Truck 2's aerial ladder was set up to knock down the fire.
The fire was under control by 3:45 a.m.
The Kane County Fire Investigation Task Force was called to the scene to help determine the cause of the fire.
