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Authorities: Contractor melting ice with blowtorch caused house fire

A contractor melting ice with a blowtorch is blamed for a Tuesday morning house fire in Geneva.

Geneva firefighters responded at 8:53 a.m. Tuesday to a house in the 800 block of Forrest Avenue.

Firefighters arriving on the scene say they found fire and smoke in the rear of the single-family house. They were able to extinguish the blaze at 9:31 a.m.

No residents were home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

The preliminary cause of the fire, officials say, stemmed from the contractor using a blowtorch to melt ice on the house's new addition foundation. The house sustained minor fire damage, and damage estimates still are being compiled.

Firefighters from Batavia, St. Charles, Elburn and West Chicago assisted Geneva at the scene. The Fermilab and North Aurora fire departments filled in Geneva Fire Stations No. 1 and 2 during the call.

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