Barrington house fire called suspicious

A Barrington home seriously damaged in a fire is now being investigated as suspicious, officials said Thursday.

Barrington fire Lt. Glenn Strebel said the fire broke out in the single-family home on the 28000 block of West Park Drive about 10:35 p.m. Wednesday.

No one was injured, and a neighbor said the residents were out of town.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, Strebel said, smoke and flames could be seen coming from the roof. He said several nearby departments were called in.

"We had the fire contained in about an hour and half," Strebel said.

No one was home during the fire, Strebel said, and none of the neighboring homes suffered any damage.

The Lake County sheriff's office is assisting in the investigation, Strebel said.

Kristen Koch was visiting her parents' home two doors down when her family first noticed loud popping sounds. She said the garage area sustained most of the damage, its roof fully engulfed in flames for a time.

She said the garage area was largely gutted, and the rest of the home's windows were blackened or were boarded up Thursday morning by the fire department.

The home is along the Fox River just east of the Lake-McHenry county line, and Koch said firefighters had to refill a water truck at the river while putting out the blaze.

Strebel said the home is uninhabitable, with the damage estimated at $250,000.

An antique car at the home was also apparently destroyed.