House Catches Fire, Displaces 3 Residents: Aurora Fire Department

AURORA, IL — After a bystander called 911 to report a house fire in the 100 block of North Highland Avenue around 7:50 a.m. Saturday, 24 firefighters came out to put out the fire that displaced three people, officials said.

A man, who driving near the corner of Highland Avenue and Galena Boulevard, was taking his kids to a baseball game Saturday when he saw smoke coming from the single-family house. Officials at the fire department said he parked, started knocking on the door and alerted a woman who lived on the first floor.

Around the same time, officials said another bystander stopped to help by going to the second floor to alert the two other residents. Fire crews said he encountered smoke on the way but was able to get the attention of a man who was in a back room.

Together, the two went to another bedroom where they thought there was another person, but when they opened the door, there was heavy smoke escaping, preventing them from going further, according to a news release.

When firefighters arrived, they found fire showing from a front window in the attic area. Engine Company crews deployed house lines, while Truck Company crews looked for victims, finding none.

Officials said all residents, including a dog, escaped the fire. The person who was thought to be in the room with heavy smoke was not home when the fire started, according to fire department officials. No firefighters were injured in the process.

After taking his kids to a baseball game, the first bystander returned home and had "minor trouble breathing," officials said. Paramedics were dispatched to his house and after assessing and treating him, he signed a refusal form declining to be taken to the hospital.

Crews deemed the house uninhabitable, displacing a 25-year-old woman, a 32-year-old man and a 39-year-old man.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials said.