Firefighters Hurt Battling Two Frankfort Township Blazes

FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP, IL — Two firefighters were hospitalized — one due to the extreme heat and one with a shoulder injury — after a pair of house fires Friday morning in Frankfort Township. Mokena Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Joseph Cirelli told the Chicago Tribune that he "assumed" the fires in the the 8500 block of West St. Francis Road were related, but said they were separate fires, and one home did not ignite the other.

The homes — set far back from the road — share a gated driveway but fairly far apart. Mokena firefighters were assisted in battling the blazes in the 90-degree heat by crews from New Lenox, Frankfort, Manhattan, Tinley Park, Orland Park, Lockport, Monee and Channahon.

Cirelli told the Tribune the causes of the two fires were "undetermined,"and said he wasn't sure if anyone lived in the homes. The homeowners had been notified of the blazes, he said. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Patch photo by Dennis Robaugh