Fire leaves Ingleside home uninhabitable

Firefighters from five suburban departments responded to an Ingleside fire that left a single-family home uninhabitable Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy Chief Ed Lescher of the Fox Lake Fire Protection District said no residents were home when the fire started and no one was injured while fighting the blaze.

Firefighters rushed to the 3500 block of Second Avenue about 12:45 p.m. to find heavy smoke pouring out from the home and flames coming from the sides of the 1½-story structure, Lescher said.

Because the fire was so intense, crews could not immediately enter the home and fight it from within, Lescher said. He said firefighters used around 24,000 gallons of water over roughly 2½ hours to extinguish the fire. Crews had to truck in water from a hydrant 2,000 feet away.

Lescher said fire crews from McHenry, Lake Villa, Round Lake and Wauconda assisted on the scene. Fire crews from Spring Grove and Antioch were called in to cover the Fox Lake area while firefighters battled the blaze.

Lescher said there were no pets in the home and the fire was reported by a neighbor.

Investigators remained on the scene late Tuesday afternoon to determine the cause.