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One person hurt in Elgin house fire

Investigators believe electrical wiring near a space heater was the source of a fire that caused minor injuries to one person Friday morning in Elgin.

The Elgin Fire Department responded to a call at 5:18 a.m. about a structure fire on the 600 block of North Liberty Street.

Firefighters arrived in just over three minutes and found heavy smoke coming from all sides of the house, fire officials said. That quickly escalated to heavy fire from multiple windows on the first floor, and the blaze eventually moved to the second floor.

Firefighters had the fire under control in about 25 minutes, stopping it before it spread to the attic, officials said.

All occupants got out on their own; one suffered minor smoke inhalation and was taken to Advocate Sherman Hospital, Battalion Chief Terry Bruce said.

There were no injuries to firefighters.

Damage was estimated at $150,000, Bruce said. The house had one smoke detector, but it didn't alert the residents, he said.

Fire Chief Robb Cagann advised residents and business owners to make sure smoke detectors are properly installed and maintained. Smoke detectors should be tested monthly, and batteries should be changed twice a year.

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  A Friday morning fire in a house on the 600 block of North Liberty Street in Elgin injured one person and caused an estimated $150,000 in damage. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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