Romeoville Family Forced Out of Home by Fire That Leaves Gaping Hole in Wall

A fire in a ranch home in Romeoville on Thursday night caused damage estimated at $20,000 to $30,000 and left the homeowners seeking temporary shelter, Fire Department Battalion Chief Jon Ibrahim said.

No one was injured.

Ibrahim said firefighters were called to 609 Montrose Drive at 4:55 p.m. and spent about 10 minutes working to extinguish a blaze that climbed the north wall of the house on the outside of the garage and extended into the attic space above the garage.

"The homeowner was outside and he said everybody was outside," Ibrahim said. "So, that was a good thing. They did have a couple of small pets that we removed."

Ibrahim said one firefighting crew used hose lines outside to extinguish the fire on the north wall of the house while another went inside to put out the flames in the attic. Temperatures in the teens made their work more difficult than usual.

"We called public works so they would salt the streets," Ibrahim said. "Otherwise, we would have had a skating rink."

Crews remained on the scene for several hours to assist with clean up.

"Much of the damage was to the outside of the house and about half of the attic space," Ibrahim said. "The fire burned through the wall and left a gaping hole. Damage to the rest of the house was minimal. There was some smoke damage and water damage."

Ibrahim said Village building department officials made the call to evacuate the home because it was not safe.

"There was electrical damage," Ibrahim said. "So, the inspectors made the call that the home was untenable. The occupants were able to spend the night at one of the neighbor's, I know that."

He said a ComEd crew was called to turn power off and that Village officials will work with the homeowners at 609 Montrose to restore power as soon as necessary repairs are made.

Ibrahim said the heat of the fire caused damage to the next door neighbor's home—at 611 Montrose—but not enough to force the occupants to evacuate.

"The fire melted the siding off the south side of the house next door," he said. "And there was damage to a window, too."

Ibrahim said the cause of the fire has not been determined. And, while he said the investigation is ongoing, fire officials are confident the blaze started on the exterior of the house and the fire was accidental in nature.

"It was not suspicious in any way," he said.