18 departments respond to Lake Barrington blaze

Two dogs may have died in a major Lake Barrington house fire early Tuesday morning that destroyed two vehicles in an attached garage and much of the home, officials said.

Eighteen fire departments assisted the Barrington Fire Protection District at the scene of the fire on the 800 block of Flynn Creek Drive, which started at 12:48 a.m. Tuesday, according to fire officials.

The single-family home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

“It was a pretty significant fire,” said Assistant Chief Donald Wenschhof III.

By the time crews left at 6:45 a.m., a rear portion of the home had collapsed and the rest of the house had extensive fire damage, officials said.

Investigators said the cause of the fire may have been electrical, but it remained under investigation early Tuesday evening.

Officials said the blaze was a difficult fight and crews were forced to go into a defensive mode. Firefighters also faced the difficulty of getting water to the scene due to the constraints of a one-lane road in the area.

An early estimate gauged the total damage to be in excess of $300,000.

All occupants of the house were outside when firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported.

A Lake Zurich fire engine needed to be towed from the scene after getting stuck in mud.