Fire Damages 3-Story House in La Grange

LA GRANGE, IL — A fire caused much damage to a three-story house late Tuesday afternoon in La Grange.

One person was in the house at 241 S. Ashland Ave. when the fire started on the front porch, Fire Chief Terrence Vavra said. She, along with the family dog, got out of the house after her mother arrived and saw the fire, the chief said. The mother called 911.

They were not injured, but one firefighter suffered a minor injury and was treated on site, Vavra said.

According to the fire department, a wicker chair caught fire from a nearby propane fire pit.

"It was a wind-driven fire," Vavra said. "The wind made it grow exponentially. A fire generally doubles in size every three to four minutes. When you add the wind factor, it can double in size in a minute or two."

Making matters worse, he said, was that the all-wood house was built in the mid-1800s. Back then, construction lacked fire stops that prevent the spread of blazes, he said.

"What started out as a fire on the porch got into the walls and transmitted to the second and third floors, Vavra said.

The La Grange Fire Department does not own a ladder truck. It usually relies on the Pleasantview Fire Protection District for such a truck, but that agency was tied up. So the Hinsdale and Westmont fire departments took up that role, the chief said.

A dozen departments responded to the fire, involving about 45 firefighters, Vavra said.