Fire Damages Home on South East Street

By Benjamin Cox on August 24, 2021 at 8:34am

Jacksonville and South Jacksonville Fire units responds to an early morning house fire on Jacksonville’s east side.

An emergency call came in to fire dispatch at approximately 1AM this morning to a two-story home located at 610 South East Street. Captain Matt Summers says that when fire crews arrived, fire was issuing from the northeast corner of the home off an enclosed back porch: “We showed up and flames were showing out that back window, which was an enclosed back porch. A washer and dryer and refrigerator were on the back porch, so the electrical appliances of some sort was in use and flames were already rolling out the window. We just pulled an inch-and-three-quarter line, knocked down the fire, and then, went inside and started attacking the fire there. Thankfully, the homeowners had the door shut between that and their kitchen and the rest of the house, so that helped slow the spread. Crews worked to put the fire out and check for extensions into the rest of the structure. It was a two-story, balloon-frame type structure so the fire could have spread pretty fast.”

Fire crews pulled a second extension line to monitor the attic for further spread. Summers says that they are unsure of the cause of the fire at this time, but no foul play is expected. Summers says that suppression and monitoring for hot spots took a little under 2 hours. No injuries were reported. According to the investigation report, damages to the property are approximately $55,000.

Summers says the Illinois State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause to pinpoint the fire’s origin: “It is difficult to tell a lot of times when it is electrical or some other issue. It takes a little more investigating and time to figure out the very cause. We do not believe that it was anything suspicious. The homeowners were there [when it started], a [fire] alarm woke them up, which is a good thing and they were all able to exit the structure quickly and safely. They did keep the doors to the fire room closed. I think they opened them once and then immediately shut them.”

Summers says that the family dog also made it out safely, and that by keeping the doors closed, it helped contain the fire to the back half of the home.