No injuries after suspected electrical fire damages Geneva home

No injuries were reported after a multifamily home was damaged by a fire Monday in the 300 block of North Fifth Street on Geneva's west side.

Authorities said the Geneva Fire Department was dispatched at 8:13 p.m. to the home, which had been subdivided into two apartments. Tenants in the second-floor apartment called 911 after seeing smoke coming from the common basement of the house.

Firefighters detected and extinguished a small fire in the basement about 15 minutes after arrival, officials said.

The first-floor apartment was vacant, and all of the tenants of the second floor evacuated the building before firefighters arrived, authorities said.

The preliminary cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature, possibly originating from a portable dehumidifier. Damage was limited to the basement storage area, with minor smoke damage to the remainder of the building.

Firefighters from Elburn, St. Charles, Batavia and Elburn assisted Geneva at the scene. The West Chicago and Fermilab fire departments filled in the Geneva fire stations and responded to additional calls in the community. Additional support was provided by the Geneva Police Department.