Fire leaves Palatine home uninhabitable

Palatine Fire Department investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire Sunday evening that left a home uninhabitable.

Firefighters were called at 6:05 p.m. to the residence on the 1000 block of North Penny Lane on a report of a basement fire. The first crews arrived five minutes later to find smoke coming from the two-story single-family home, officials said.

While some firefighters worked to put out the "deep seated" basement fire, others searched the smoke-filled home for occupants, authorities said. No residents or firefighters were injured, according to the fire department.

The fire was declared under control at 6:46 p.m., though crews remained on the scene for some time later to ventilate the structure and perform salvage and overhaul activities, officials said. Damage estimates were not available Monday.

In all, 27 firefighters responded to the scene. Crews from the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District were among the first there as part of an automatic mutual aid agreement, and help also came from the Barrington Fire Department.

The Palatine Fire Department reminds everyone to have working smoke detectors in their homes, whether a single-family dwelling, an apartment or a condo, and to have an escape plan, practice it, and be prepared to use it in the event of a fire.