Firewall saves Barrington-area house

A “firewall” built between a two-story house and its attached garage may have helped prevent a fire that started in the garage from spreading in an unincorporated area near Barrington early Friday evening, authorities said.

Emergency crews responded to reports of a structure fire on the 200 block of Knoxboro Lane at 5:28 p.m. and found a fully involved garage fire about to spread into the main portion of the residence, according to Barrington Assistant Fire Chief Christian Toussaint.

But a small breezeway between the garage and the house includes the firewall feature and was able to limit the fire damage to the garage, Toussaint said.

“That’s the best feature of the house,” he said.

About 50 minutes after the fire began, it was brought under control, and it was completely out about 15 minutes after that, officials said.

The garage and two vehicles inside were destroyed. An exact damage estimate was not available.

The residents of the home escaped safely with their dog. No injuries were reported.

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

The Barrington Fire Department was assisted by units from 26 other area departments as part of the mutual-aid response.

Ÿ Daily Herald staff photographer Bill Zars contributed to this report.