Hampshire house fire leaves resident, police officer injured
HAMPSHIRE, Ill. (CBS) – A resident and a police officer were hospitalized after a house fire in far northwest suburban Hampshire Monday.
At 4:08 p.m., the Hampshire Fire Protection District was called for a grill where a fire had gone out of control on the deck of a house in the 800 block of Elm Street.
Firefighters found a large column of smoke as they headed to the scene and called for backup from other fire departments with a general alarm. When fire crews arrived, the whole house was on fire – with flames showing in the rear of the two-story structure and extending into the attic.
A hose line was stretched to the back of the house so firefighters could battle the blaze.
Meanwhile, firefighters received reports that someone was trapped in the house. They went in to search the second floor, but five minutes later found out that both residents had escaped before firefighters got there – but they had gone their separate ways with neither knowing what happened to the other.
One resident was taken to a hospital in Elgin with smoke inhalation, while the other refused medical attention.
A Hampshire police officer was also taken to a hospital in Elgin with smoke inhalation.
Firefighters brought the fire under control by 4:45 p.m. The cause was the propane grill on the back deck where the flames went out of control – spreading rapidly up the side of the house and into the attic.
Fire damage was estimated preliminarily at $100,000.