Authorities think Christmas decorations sparked Kildeer house fire
The fire that destroyed a Kildeer home and killed two of the family's pets Wednesday evening is being attributed to decorations on an artificial Christmas tree, fire officials said.
The two-story home, located in the Ponds of Kildeer subdivision, was rendered uninhabitable by the blaze, Lake Zurich Fire Chief David Pilgard said Thursday.
The fire was reported by a neighbor just after 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Firefighters arrived on the scene five minutes later, Pilgard said. The fire had already spread to both floors of the home, and the flames were lapping the roof.
"The fire was heavily involved," Pilgard said.
He said the family had evacuated the home by the time crews arrived, but two pets perished.
Pilgard said firefighters attacked the flames with six hoses, and at the peak of the fight crews were using more than 2,000 gallons of water per minute.
The subdivision does not have fire hydrants, so water had to be brought to the scene in tanker trucks and pumped in from two local ponds, Pilgard said.
"It was a very extensive operation," Pilgard said, adding that his crews were assisted by at least 15 other fire departments.
Pilgard said it took firefighters 45 minutes to bring the fire under control, and crews had left the scene by about 10 p.m.