Saturday night fire damages Batavia home

A basement fire caused an estimated $170,000 in damages to a Batavia home Saturday night while the owner was out, according to fire officials.

It took firefighters 40 minutes to bring the blaze under control at the house on the 100 block of North Jefferson Street.

A neighbor spotted smoke coming from the home and called 911 at 6:47 p.m., according to fire officials.

An investigation revealed that the blaze started in an area above the furnace, causing the wood floors in the first-floor kitchen to catch fire.

The fire caused extensive damage to the basement and was estimated to total about $150,000 to the structure and $20,000 to its contents, according to fire officials.

Firefighters from North Aurora, Geneva, St. Charles and Elburn assisted at the scene.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sunday.