Firefighters enter the roof of the house to extinguish the fire. (Photo by Tim Olk)
A fire in a single-family home is believed to have started when a power line to the house was torn down by a fallen tree branch during a microburst storm in Mount Prospect on Tuesday.
Fire Chief John Dolan said firefighters were called to a possible structure fire in the 1700 block of E. Kensington Road around 6:25 p.m. Crews were on the scene in less than three minutes and reported smoke coming from the attic of the single-family home.
Crews confirmed that all residents had safely evacuated the home before launching an interior attack. A fire was discovered in the attic, which was extinguished within 20 minutes of arrival, but crews remained on scene for an hour to carry out remedial work.
The fire is still under investigation. No injuries were reported and damage is estimated at about $35,000. The house is considered uninhabitable due to the damage from the fire.
Firefighters received assistance from neighboring cities, including Prospect Heights, Des Plaines and Glenview.
“Crews did an excellent job of extinguishing the fire and minimizing damage to the home given the weather conditions and electrical hazards in the immediate area,” Dolan said, adding that firefighters responded to nearly 100 emergency calls during the storm and throughout the night.
