No injuries in St. Charles house fire

A soggy Teddy Ruxpin animatronic bear sat silent on the roof of what was a sport utility vehicle less than 24 hours earlier at a now-vacant St. Charles residence Friday morning. A childhood toy was among several personal belongings included in the $125,000 in losses for a family whose home caught fire on the 1000 block of Geneva Road Friday.

St. Charles Fire Department officials responded to the home at 12:38 a.m. to find a tri-level structure at the end of a winding driveway with a roaring fire in the carport and garage areas. Wind gusts fueled the flames as firefighters battled to get the blaze under control. Officials had the fire extinguished shortly after 1 a.m., but remained on the scene until nearly 4 a.m. to conduct a fire investigation and complete salvage work.

Three residents of the home were sleeping when the fire began. They evacuated on their own when they heard the popping and crackling of their garage. None of the residents nor any firefighters were injured, said assistant fire chief Joe Schelstreet, adding that a neighbor saw the fire and called 911.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is not considered suspicious, Schelstreet said.

Fire departments from Geneva, Batavia, Elburn and West Chicago assisted St. Charles firefighters.

The home was rendered uninhabitable by the fire and suppression efforts.