Patio heater causes fire in St. Charles

St. Charles fire officials say an outdoor patio heater that had been placed close to a wall and left on for an extended period was the cause of a fire on the 100 block of Shoreline Court Friday.

At 8:40 p.m., firefighters responded to the report of an outside wall of a home on fire.

Firefighters were on the scene by 8:46 p.m. and found on fire the wall that adjoins the backyard deck. The fire had traveled up to the roof and into the concealed spaces in the soffit area, officials said.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in approximately 10 minutes but remained on the scene until 10 p.m. There were no injuries.

The neighbor to the rear of the home saw the fire and notified the homeowners, who called 911 and escaped the home safely, firefighters said.

Damage is estimated at $10,000.