Gas company probes Gurnee blaze

An unknown source of fire ignited natural gas coming from a gas meter underground in Gurnee Tuesday, officials said.

Gurnee firefighters responded to the 600 block of Creekside Drive around 6:17 p.m. after a neighbor noticed fire coming from the ground next to a garage, Gurnee Fire Department Lt. John Skillman said.

The neighbor was dousing the fire with a garden hose when firefighters arrived; the residents were in the back yard but unaware of the fire at the time, Skillman said.

Gurnee firefighters extinguished the garage, then monitored the gas until the gas company was able to get on the scene and shut it off, Skillman said.

The gas company had to dig up the yard to access the leaking pipe. The incident caused about $25,000 in damage including damage to the landscaping. No cause of ignition was immediately apparent. No one was injured.