Man injured in Sunday house fire in southern DeKalb County

SOMONAUK – One man was injured in a rural house fire Sunday night between Leland and Somonauk, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan said the man, believed to be in his 70s, suffered injuries from the fire, although they were not life-threatening.

“The homeowner was the only person at the house and he did have, what I was told, a small burn on his hand,” Sullivan said.

The man was taken to Northwestern Medicine Valley West Hospital in Sandwich while firefighters from the Leland and Somonauk fire departments worked to extinguish the flames.

First responders were alerted to the fire at 8:29 p.m. Sunday at 9358 Sanderson Road, according to a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Sullivan said the blaze was put out in about 90 minutes. The fire, at one point, fully engulfed the one-story home, however.

“The initial call said the whole house is on fire,” Sullivan said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation as of Monday. Authorities said they believe the fire was accidental.

“It appears that the homeowner may have been burning something earlier in the day behind the house,” Sullivan said. “That might be what had caused the fire, but that’s for the fire departments to make that final determination.”