Neighbor awakens girl during Burlington house fire

Buildup inside a wood-burning stove caught fire in a Burlington house Saturday morning, leaving the home uninhabitable, officials said.

The daughter of the homeowners was asleep when the fire broke out about 9:40 a.m., and a neighbor knocked on the door to wake her up. The girl escaped the home in the 200 block of Deutsch Road safely, and firefighters were able to rescue three pets from the home, said Burlington Fire District Chief Craig Whyte.

Units from 13 area fire departments responded to the scene, and had the fire extinguished in about an hour, Whyte said.

The youngest daughter of the family was home while her parents were down the street at an Easter event hosted by the fire department, according to Pastor Howard Gleason of St. John Lutheran Church in Burlington.

An Addison church started a fund to help with the family’s immediate and long-term expenses, noting that the home is likely a complete loss.

Fire officials estimated the damage to the home and its contents to be greater than $50,000.

“There was heavy smoke, never really a lot of fire,” Whyte said. “Unfortunately there was a lot of heat in the walls.”

The fire spread from the flue through the first and second floor and up through the roof, he said.

Whyte said the homeowner’s daughter was out of the house when firefighters arrived, and there were no injuries.

One hundred percent of donations for the fund will be given to the family.

Donations can be made online at www.lutheranchurchcharities.org or by mail at Lutheran Church Charities, 333 West Lake St., Addison, IL 60101. Donations can also be made over the phone at (866) 455-6466.