Fire fueled by gas leak guts home near Hoffman Estates

A firefighter was hospitalized for heat exhaustion and a resident evaluated for a medical condition Tuesday after the Bartlett Fire Protection District responded to a house fire in an unincorporated area near Hoffman Estates.

Firefighters called to the 5300 block of Shotkoski Drive at 5:12 p.m. arrived to find flames coming from the side and roof of the two-story home. The fire was being fueled by the natural gas service to the house, fire officials said.

Due to the extent of the blaze, firefighters were removed from the house shortly after 5:30 p.m. and water from aerial ladder was used to extinguish the majority of the flames before crews could re-enter.

The fire was declared under control at 6:36 p.m. and NICOR stopped the gas leak at about 9 p.m., officials said Wednesday.

The house was declared uninhabitable, but a monetary damage estimate was not immediately available. The fire remains under investigation.

A total of 44 firefighters responded to the blaze, along with six command officers and a fire investigator. Bartlett firefighters were assisted by the Hoffman Estates, Streamwood, Elgin, South Elgin, East Dundee, Barrington and Schaumburg fire departments. The Cook County Sheriff's Office also assisted with traffic and crowd control at the scene.