Libertyville fires under investigation

Investigators are trying to determine the causes and possible relationship of two substantial fires reported early Thursday in Libertyville.

No one was injured but considerable damages were reported in the separate blazes on the 200 block of Homewood Drive and the 200 block of W. Cook Avenue. A garage was destroyed and three homes damaged in the fires.

“We’ve got two different fires within a block of each other. We just met to discuss our game plan,” Fire Chief Rich Carani said Thursday.

Fire investigators from Libertyville and several other departments were joined by an arson investigator from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, he added.

“They’re out processing everything, taking pictures, sifting through ashes,” Carani said. It was too soon to determine if the fires were related, he added.

In the first case, residents at the Homewood house called authorities about 2:55 a.m. Police reported a fire through the roof at the rear of the structure, and several other departments were called to assist.

The fire started in a screened-in breezeway connecting the house to the garage, Carani said, and was under control within about 20 minutes. The preliminary damage estimate was $150,000.

Less than an hour later, at about 4:05 a.m., a newspaper delivery person called the fire department to report a structure fire on West Cook Avenue.

Firefighters arrived to find a two-story detached garage ablaze. A mutual aid alarm was sounded and nine departments assisted. The fire was declared to be under control about 5:30 a.m.

The fire started in the detached garage to the rear of the home and spread to a neighboring home immediately to the west, firefighters said. The garage was described as a complete loss and damage to a neighboring home was described as extensive inside and out. No estimates were immediately available.

Carani said the Homewood Avenue house was not habitable. He said the source of the fires were unknown.

“They were both pretty significant,” he said. “Everything is under investigation. As far as what started it, it’s going to be awhile.”

Police also are assisting, Carani said.