Firefighters Save Elderly Woman From Blaze

Firefighters saved an elderly woman trapped inside a home that caught fire early Monday morning in unincorporated McHenry.

The McHenry Township Fire Protection District was called to the house fire in the 300 block of Kent Road in unincorporated McHenry at 4:45 a.m. Monday, fire officials said. When they arrived, they found the single-family home with visible smoke visible from the exterior of the residence.

Firefighters quickly performed a “Vent-Enter-Isolate-Search” of the home, which involves raising a ladder to the window of the victim’s location, entering that location and conducting a search. Firefighters entered the elderly woman’s bedroom, where they found the woman and were able to remove her through her bedroom window, according to a McHenry Township Fire Protection District press release.

The woman was taken to Centegra Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation. She was in good condition, fire officials said. A McHenry County Sheriff’s Office deputy sustained a minor injury while assisting fire crews at the scene.

The fire started in the kitchen area of the home and caused moderate smoke and heat damage throughout the house.

There were no working smoke detectors found in the building. The house is uninhabitable and the damage is estimated to be $50,000.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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