Firefighters Find Burning House On Ridge While Headed Back To Station

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston firefighters happened upon a burning building on their way back to the station early Tuesday morning from an automatic fire alarm after the crew of Engine 23 noticed the "distinct smell of something burning" as it drove through the 2300 block of Ridge Avenue at 12:27 a.m. The truck parked, and firefighters walked up and down the block until they heard smoke alarms going off and found a house full of smoke with a fire on the second floor, the Evanston Fire Department said.

No one was inside the burning building, as the single family home had been unoccupied during renovation, according to a news release. Engine 23 immediately upgraded the alarm and got to work putting out the fire.

Mutual aid companies from other agencies were brought in to help cover the city, and the fire was extinguished within 24 minutes of its discovery, the department reported.

There was no clear sign of forced entry, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Division Chief Paul Polep. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Evanston — or your Illinois community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

One Evanston firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and has been released from the hospital. There were no other reported injuries, according to the Evanston Fire Department.

_{Photos via Evanston Fire Department}