Resident Rescued During 'Accidental' House Fire: Palatine F.D.

PALATINE, IL — Fire investigators are blaming the improper disposal of smoking materials in a garage for a Wednesday night house fire where a resident needed to be rescued from the second floor of the building.

No firefighters were injured during the incident, while one civilian was treated on the scene and released. Damage estimates at the single-family home were not available at the time of this report.

Officials said the fire was fought by 22 firefighters, staffing four engines, one ladder truck, one rescue squad, and three ambulances, which responded to the scene along with four command officers.

The Palatine Fire Department was called to the home in the 600 block of W. Hill Road at around 5:56 p.m. for a report of a structure fire. Units arrived three minutes after the initial alarm and reported smoke and fire coming from an attached garage, according to a news release. Soon thereafter, the alarm was upgraded to structure fire response due to the large amounts of smoke in the sky.

Officials said the initial fire crews on the scene deployed two hose lines to the exterior of the house and another to the interior for fire extinguishment. Other crews used thermal imaging cameras to check for victims, finding a resident on the second floor of the home, who was safely removed.

Extensive fire damage to the garage had extended into the first and second floors of the house. The fire was declared under control at 6:19 p.m. Officials said crews performed salvage to protect items on the first floor from further damage and overhauled void spaces to expose any hidden fire.

Investigators from the Palatine Fire Department determined the fire was accidental and caused by improper disposal of smoking materials in the garage.

Palatine was assisted by the Inverness Fire Protection District, Village of Barrington and the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Officials are reminding residents to have working smoke alarms in their homes, whether the home is a single-family dwelling, an apartment, or a condo. They noted this home did have working smoke alarms that alerted the residents of this fire.

More fire safety tips are available at the Village of Palatine website here.