House fire near Hoffman Estates
A burnt-out shell was what remained Tuesday of a home that erupted in flames shortly before noon near Hoffman Estates.
No one was injured by the fire. The house, however, was destroyed by flames, which could be seen from the Jane Addams Tollway nearby, Bartlett Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ralph Defreece said.
A 911 call from a driver on the tollway was routed to the Hoffman Estates Fire Department who said it had the first crews on the scene around 11:30 a.m. at 5180 Shotkoski Drive.
Firefighters from the Bartlett Fire Protection District, the lead responders, as well as firefighters from Carpentersville, Streamwood and Hanover Park fought to get the fire under control for about an hour, Defreece said.
"They did a great job with the heavy winds out there to keep it from getting it into the houses next door," Defreece said.
Elgin resident Mike Robins said he could see the fire from the tollway while driving from lunch around 12:30 p.m. He said he smelled smoke miles from the site.
"I have never seen flames coming out from every single window of the dwelling," he said. "It was unbelievable."
A damage estimate was not immediately available, however, the large, two-story home in the Bridlewood subdivision was sold in February 2005 for $425,000, according to public records.
Neighbors and fire officials said this was the second fire in the area in recent years.
"There was another fire about four or five houses down from that one a number of years ago and that was due to faulty wood stove installation," Defreece confirmed.
Residents said they are concerned about fire department response time, because they live in unincorporated Cook County. Bartlett officials receive about 12 fire calls per year from the neighborhood, records show.
Fire officials and investigators remained on the scene late Tuesday. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It was not immediately known if the house had working smoke detectors.
The American Red Cross is assisting the residents with emergency lodging, Defreece said.
Carol Stream, South Elgin and Bloomingdale fire departments covered the fire stations during the blaze.