House fire causes extensive smoke damage in Elgin

An Elgin home was left uninhabitable Tuesday after a fire in the basement caused extensive smoke damage, officials said.

The homeowner had just returned to the home on the 500 block of Arlington Avenue when she opened the front door and found the house filled with black smoke, Fire Batallion Chief Rich Carter said. She called 911, and firefighters were dispatched at 4:35 p.m. and arrived within three minutes, he said.

Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire, which had not spread beyond the basement. "It wasn't a very big fire, but there was a lot of smoke. Everything is covered in soot," he said.

The homeowner was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. The damage is estimated at about $50,000 and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Carter said.

The fire department gave the homeowner a free voucher to stay at a hotel for the night while she begins working with her insurance company to deal with the matter, he said.