Sugar Grove fire severely damages home

Neighbors who spotted heavy smoke and flames pouring out of a Sugar Grove garage early Tuesday morning were able to wake up the residents of the attached townhouse before anyone was hurt.

The Sugar Grove Fire Department arrived on the scene in the 500 block of Mallard Lane at about 2:25 a.m. and said they found fire jutting out of the overhead garage door and lapping up the front of the structure. The fire lit up the summer night and was visible for a healthy distance, sparking numerous calls to emergency dispatch. Departments from Oswego, Montgomery, Aurora and Elburn also responded to the scene. It took a total of 31 firefighters about 45 minutes to douse the blaze.

By then, the two-story townhouse suffered about $150,000 in damages. The vehicle parked in the driveway of the garage also sustained substantial damage. In the course of putting out the fire, the neighboring townhouse received smoke and water damage.

Fire investigators believe discarded smoking materials in the garage were responsible for the fire.