Crews extinguish large house fire in Alexander County

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Crews have put out a large fire at a home in Alexander County, Illinois. The fire happened sometime before 5 p.m. on October 9, at a house on Ditch Road off Bader Lane in McClure. This is between the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge and Rte. 3. Heartland News spoke with McClure Fire Chief Joe Taylor. He said it is believed to have been an electrical fire, but they are still investigating. Fortunately, no one was injured and Chief Taylor said they were able to rescue two cats. However, the house is considered a complete loss. There was damage throughout the entire home, reaching through the roof and rafters. The McClure-East Cape Fire Protection District headed the incident, with help from the Tamms Fire Department, Horseshoe Lake Volunteer Fire Dept. and Wolf Lake-Ware Fire Protection Dist.
KFVS-TV 12 CBS Cape Girardeau

Moline blaze still under investigation

On Wednesday, the Moline Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 2424 41st St. The call came in at 2:02 p.m., and the first fire company arrived on the scene within five minutes. Upon arrival, firefighters found a detached, covered parking structure fully engulfed in flames, with several vehicles inside the structure also on fire, a news release says. Firefighters were met with heavy fire conditions pushing from the garage. The intense heat from the blaze caused damage to nearby structures, resulting in heat, smoke, and water damage to two adjacent apartment units. One resident has been displaced due to the incident. Fortunately, no civilian or firefighter injuries were reported. The fire is under investigation by the Moline Fire Department Bureau of Investigations.
WHBF-TV CBS 4 Rock Island

Residents escape without injury after fire at McHenry Township apartment building

Residents were awoken by smoke detectors and escaped without injury after an early morning fire caused extensive damage to an apartment building in McHenry. The McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded around 2:30 a.m. Monday to the 1300 block of Park Street in McHenry for a report of a structure fire. McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Kevin Sears said crews arrived in three minutes and found a two-and-a-half-story, wood frame home. Heavy smoke was coming from the basement of the converted apartment building. Smoke detectors were present in the building and alerted the occupants who had been sleeping at the time of the fire, Sears said. Fire crews started an offensive attack on the fire by entering the basement with a hose line through a rear door.
Lake & McHenry County Scanner

Urbana firefighters spread caution as field fires ignite across Central Illinois

Multiple fires kept first responders busy across Central Illinois on Sunday. Now, they’re spreading a message of how to stay safe. “Some of the best preventers of fire are not us, they’re the community, so a little bit of education helps with that,” Urbana Fire Department Engineer Andy Stewart said. It was all about awareness at Urbana Fire Department’s annual “Risk Reduction Family Day” — something especially important now. “Whenever there’s dry conditions and high winds, the fire hazard increases.” Urbana Fire Department Lieutenant Brian Hoff said. “We’ve seen a lot of field work being done around us and those dry conditions just help fuel that fire.” And it’s not just harvesting — something as seemingly small as a cigarette could cause flames to erupt.
WCIA-TV CBS 3 Champaign