Fire Destroys Lemont Home
LEMONT, Ill. (STMW) -- No injuries were reported in a fire that destroyed a southwest suburban home Sunday afternoon.
Lemont Fire Chief George Rimbo said no one was at the home in the 300 block of East Division Street when the fire began and a neighbor called the fire department about 1 p.m.
Fire crews still were fighting the fire three hours later.
When fire crews arrived, Rimbo said they tried performing an "interior attack" to try to save the house.
But much of the home soon became engulfed in flames and Rimbo said he became concerned the second floor would collapse on firefighters, so he ordered them outside.
"We couldn't make any headway," Rimbo said. "It eventually turned into a defensive firefight (from the outside)."
He said the home likely is totally destroyed. Investigators still were trying to determine what caused the fire and exactly where it started.
As temperatures reached into the mid-80s and firefighters battled in intense heat, Rimbo rushed to a store to buy several cases of bottled water. He said he made sure crew members regularly were checked for heat exhaustion.
"Everbody's doing fine, so far," Rimbo said about 4 p.m.
Six fire engines responded, including from surrounding communities Darien and Woodridge and the Argonne National Laboratory.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)