Firefighter injured in blaze at vacant Antioch house

An Antioch Fire Protection District firefighter suffered minor injuries battling a blaze at an unoccupied house Wednesday evening.

Fire officials said firefighters were dispatched to the 40700 block of North L Street just before 9:30 p.m. for a report of a transformer fire.

The response was delayed by a freight train blocking the crossing to the area, fire officials said.

Firefighters discovered a power line down and an isolated fire on the pavement. The transformer attached to the down line was also arcing, so a ComEd crew was requested to the scene.

Firefighters also noticed smoke in the air coming from a nearby house, officials said. They turned their attention to the two-story house and saw heavy smoke coming from the north side of the structure.

Firefighters made entry to the home, but initially were hampered by a live power line down near the house's front side.

There were also no fire hydrants in the area and water had to be shuttled in by numerous fire vehicles.

Fire officials halted train service on the nearby railroad tracks in order to lay hoses over the tracks to fight the fire.

High winds also hindered the firefighting efforts, officials said.

The fire was eventually extinguished, but fire officials estimate the house suffered $300,000 in damage. The structure was deemed uninhabitable.