Fire badly damages St. Charles house

St. Charles fire officials Friday continued to investigate the cause of a fire that broke out late Thursday in a home on Route 31 just south of Silver Glen Road in St. Charles Township. Officials said one person was in the residence at the time, and he escaped without injury.

Battalion Chief Scott Swanson said the department responded at 10:05 p.m. to see flames coming from inside the home.

Fire officials said one person was home at the time the blaze ignited. According to a Kane County Sheriff's police report, the homeowner was using a computer on the first floor when he heard a crackling sound coming from the basement, saw the kitchen filled with smoke and called 911.

The police report said the house is not the homeowner's primary residence and he was there preparing for a party.

Swanson said firefighters attacked the blaze and had it out within one hour. Getting the fire under control was delayed because there were no available fire hydrants in the area and water had to be pulled from the City of St. Charles, according to Swanson.

The fire caused roughly $350,000 in damages to the structure of the home and an additional $50,000 in damages to the contents.

Swanson said the home is uninhabitable.