Lacquer fumes ignite, contractor injured in Libertyville basement fire

A construction worker was injured when a fire sparked in the basement of a Libertyville home where he was working, authorities said.

Firefighters were summoned to the 700 block of E. Rockland Road in Libertyville at 5:14 p.m. Tuesday for the fire, Libertyville Deputy Fire Chief Ken Komers said.

A contractor was using lacquer to seal the concrete floor when vapors reached an ignition source and the fumes ignited, Komers said.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but not before the contractor who was working on the project suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation, he said.

The contractor was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Komers said, for treatment of minor, nonlife threatening injuries.

The flames were put out quickly and homeowners were allowed to return home by 8 p.m., Komers said. Firefighters from Mundelein, Countryside and Knollwood assisted the Libertyville Fire Department at the scene.