Two fires damage buildings in Marengo
A downtown Marengo building containing an insurance office and apartments was damaged by fire around 12:30 p.m. Friday.
Emily Markham was in the bedroom of her second-story apartment at 123 S. State St. when someone pounded on the door, yelling "fire!" she said.
When she looked out the patio door from her kitchen, there was "a wall of flame" at the back of the building.
Markham said she just recently moved into the building.
"Everything is probably gone," she said.
She didn't know whether her two inside cats, Emilia and Simba, survived. An outside cat suffered burns, she said.
Patrons at the Flatlander Market cafe and bakery next door were evacuated. The restaurant's owner said she suspects the fire may have started in a garbage container shared by several businesses.
The buildings are built right next to each other, with no space in between.
A short time later, a house next to the Cafe 20 restaurant in Marengo was damaged by a separate fire at Prospect Street and Grant Highway (Route 20).
Parents with students at Grant Intermediate School were notified school buses could be delayed by the fire.
Flames engulfed the house and the fire continued to break out in spots as late as 2:45 p.m.
The house previously appeared to be vacant. Several large windows or doors had been removed and propped up against the building.
Traffic was detoured because of the fire. As a semitrailer truck was making a turn for the detour route, it sideswiped a McHenry County Conservation District vehicle.
• Daily Herald staff photographer Patrick Kunzer contributed to this report.