Geneva firefighters put out fire at retail store

No injuries were reported after a fire damaged a Geneva downtown gift shop early Monday, officials announced in a news release.

Geneva Fire Chief Mike Antenore said the department was notified at 6:45 a.m. by the owner of Pärla, 122 Hamilton St., who had received an alert of a fire.

No one was in the building at the time, he said.

Firefighters found smoke coming from the second floor and brought the fire under control in less than 20 minutes.

The preliminary investigation showed the fire started in the front interior of the business, but the cause remains under investigation, Antenore said.

The building’s interior received extensive smoke and heat damage, but Antenore said most of the interior retail stock is hard goods and could be cleaned.

“The majority was not clothing. They should be able to salvage quite a bit,” Antenore said.

The two-story former residence is in good shape with virtually no damage to the building, Antenore said, and there is no immediate estimate of damage to the retail goods or interior.

“The fire was accidental, not intentional,” Antenore said. “We’re still investigating, but there is no indication that it was intentional and no incindiary material was used.”

Firefighters from St. Charles, Batavia, Elburn and West Chicago assisted Geneva at the scene. Fermilab and North Aurora fire departments filled in the Geneva fire stations and stood by to respond to additional calls in the community, according to the release.

According to its website, www.parlageneva.com, the store offers vintage jewelry, home decor, antiques, music and purses. The website lists it as being closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.