Fire destroys Gurnee garage space

A space heater might have caused a fire that destroyed a living area above a Gurnee garage Thursday afternoon, according to fire officials.

Fire crews responded to a report of a fire on the 3400 block of Woodlawn Avenue just after 3 p.m. Thursday and found an unattached garage in flames, said Gurnee Batallion Chief Tim Tanner.

“When we pulled up there was heavy fire on the second floor above the garage,” he said. “We used an aggressive fire attack to stop the aggression of the fire from getting to the main house.”

Some of the residents were inside the living area when the fire started but were able to escape unharmed, he said.

A vehicle was inside the garage, but firefighters were able to put out the flames before they spread to the first floor.

The upstairs area was a total loss, and fire investigators estimated the damage at $15,000, Tanner said.

Firefighters from Waukegan and Newport Township covered the Gurnee stations while crews were at the scene.