Officials: Fish tank sparks St. Charles house fire

Malfunctioning fish tank equipment contributed to a fire Friday afternoon at a home on the 1600 block of Ronzheimer Avenue, according to St. Charles fire officials.

Firefighters arrived about 1:30 p.m. and found the fire in the attached garage of a two-story, single-family home, officials said.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 15 minutes but remained on the scene until about 2:45 p.m. to inspect the area and investigate the fire.

The cause appears to be an electrical malfunction of aerating equipment for a fish tank, officials said.

None of the residents were at home at the time of the fire, and no firefighters were injured, reports said.

The loss is estimated at $7,500 to the structure and the contents of the garage.

The fire was discovered by a UPS driver who noticed smoke coming from under the garage door and called 911, officials said.

The St. Charles Fire Department was assisted by the Geneva, Batavia, West Chicago and Elburn fire departments.