Three DeKalb residents displaced after electrical fire in home

DeKALB – Three DeKalb residents are without a home Wednesday after a Tuesday night house fire left the residence uninhabitable, said authorities.

At 10:05 p.m. Tuesday, the DeKalb Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire in the 900 block of South Ninth Street, according to a news release.

When firefighters arrived, they reported heavy smoke showing from the roof.

As crews began to fight the fire, authorities determined that all residents had cleared the building. Crews ventilated the attic for the smoke.

No injures to residents or firefighters were reported, according to the department.

Once the fire was under control, authorities had to perform an extensive overhaul of the building to locate any hidden fires and ensure the fire was out, according to the release.

The fire, which was deemed to be electrical in nature, was extinguished within 30 minutes of crews arriving to the scene. Crews remained in the area for two hours.

Off-duty crews from the DeKalb Fire Department were called into to help cover other emergencies during the fire response. One of DeKalb’s units had prior to the call responded to a mutual aid request for a fire in Elburn and was out of time at the time of the DeKalb fire, according to the release.

Authorities have deemed the home uninhabitable after sustaining damage in the fire.

Crews from Burlington, Kaneville, Malta, Rochelle, Genoa-Kingston, Maple Park and Shabbona fire departments assisted, as did DeKalb police, ComEd and Nicor.