Firefighter injured in blaze at Buffalo Grove house

One firefighter was injured Tuesday night as crews worked to put out a roaring fire in Buffalo Grove that left a house uninhabitable.

The first responding firefighters to the report of smoke at a house on the 600 block of Buckthorn Terrace found the home ablaze with a “large amount” of smoke and fire on the first and second floor, according to the fire department.

Six fire departments battled the blaze for about an hour until it was under control, said Buffalo Grove Battalion Chief Brian Barna.

One resident was inside the home when the fire started at about 5:30 p.m., but met firefighters on the lawn as they arrived, Barna said.

Heavy fire and smoke, along with cold weather and ice that formed in the street and on their gear, made the fight difficult, according to fire officials.

“It required more people to fight the fire and definitely makes it more challenging,” Barna said.

Firefighters were continuously rotating to rehabilitate and take turns warming up, which required more crews on scene than usual, Barna said.

One Buffalo Grove firefighter injured his back and was transported to an area hospital for an evaluation, but was released Tuesday night, according to the fire department.

The fire started on the first floor, but the cause remains under investigation.

“It's 50-50 whether or not the insurance company will say ‘knock it all down' or do an extensive rehab,” Barna said. “The floor's burned through. There is pretty extensive damage.”

The Buffalo Grove department was assisted by the Long Grove, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods and Wauconda Fire Protection Districts, and the Arlington Heights and Barrington Fire Departments.