Child rescued, dad arrested in Elgin fire

An Elgin firefighter heroically saved a 2-year-old boy from a burning home on the city's west side this afternoon, minutes before the toddler could have died from smoke inhalation, officials said.

Elgin Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry Bruce said rescue crews arrived at the raised ranch in the 500 block of Cumberland Trail at 3:13 p.m. to find the child's mother and father in the front yard.

Firefighter Kevin Hartmann learned that a 2-year-old was still in the home, so he ran inside and found the toddler in a high chair as smoke descended toward the boy's head, Bruce said.

Hartmann grabbed the toddler and rushed him outside to safety.

"A couple more minutes and the baby would have been overcome with smoke," Bruce said.

The boy's father was arrested, Bruce said, after physically trying to stop firefighters from putting out the fire.

The baby's grandmother tried to put out the fire when it started, but she had to leave the home, Bruce added.

The blaze, which started in the first-floor bedroom that belonged to the boy's father, was brought under control in about 30 minutes, Bruce said.

Investigators were on the scene looking into the cause of the blaze, which rendered the home uninhabitable, Bruce said.

"It definitely started in the first floor bedroom, the cause we're not sure about yet," he said.

A firefighter was overcome by exhaustion during the fire, Bruce said.

Check back at dailyherald.com for updates or see Friday's print edition for a full report.