Smoke detectors save residents from fire near Wayne

Residents of a house in unincorporated DuPage County near Wayne were able to escape an early morning fire Sunday unharmed after being awakened by smoke detectors.

The Bartlett Fire Protection District and assisting departments called to the house on the 30W300 block of White Oak Lane at 12:43 a.m. found heavy smoke coming from the structure’s first and second floors.

Firefighters got the blaze under control at 1:13 a.m. and fire units cleared the scene at 2:43 a.m., according to fire officials.

The fire appears to have started in the home’s family room, but the cause remained under investigation Monday, officials said.

The fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damage to the residence, and another $250,000 to the house’s contents. Though the fire was confined to the family room, smoke damage occurred throughout the house, officials said.

“This house may have had a completely different outcome if there were not working smoke detectors,” Bartlett Fire Chief Michael Falese said in a statement. “We remind everyone to make sure they have working smoke detectors.”