Fire destroys empty house in Lake in the Hills

Fire officials said no one was injured in a fire that burned an abandoned two-story house in Lake in the Hills Wednesday morning.

Huntley Deputy Fire Chief Ken Caudle said the fire that started on the 9500 block of Algonquin Road is suspicious "because abandoned houses don't normally start on fire by themselves."

He said the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

He said fire crews arriving about 6:45 a.m. to find saw heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear of the house.

The department called a box alarm, which drew firefighters and equipment from Algonquin-Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake, Lakewood, Woodstock, Hampshire, Rutland-Dundee, Marengo and Carpentersville.

The fire was under control within an hour, but reignited a couple hours later. Crews remained on he scene for about three hours

Westbound traffic on Algonquin Road was reduced to one lane while firefighters battled the blaze.