Off-duty firefighter lauded for rescuing man from burning Elgin home

Officials are crediting an off-duty Hoffman Estates firefighter for getting the occupant of a burning Elgin home to safety Sunday morning and alerting firefighters to the blaze in time to get it quickly under control.

Elgin fire officials said the fire in the 100 block of Longford Drive had gone unnoticed until the off-duty firefighter spotted it while driving to work at about 7:18 a.m. He called Elgin Fire Department communications, then alerted the home's occupant and got him out of the residence, officials said.

Elgin firefighters arrived about five minutes later and brought the fire under control within 11 minutes. No firefighters or civilians were injured, and firefighters rescued a cat from the home.

Fire, smoke and water damage left the home uninhabitable, Elgin fire officials said. Damage was estimated at about $50,000 and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Elgin Fire Chief Dave Schmidt publicly thanked the Hoffman Estates firefighter for his dedication and professionalism.

"This fire had the potential to be tragic if not for the swift actions of this dedicated firefighter," Schmidt said in a news release.