Home damaged in fire Saturday near Woodstock

No injuries were reported from a garage fire that left a home uninhabitable Saturday evening near Woodstock, according to the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District.

The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District responded to a call at 5:42 p.m. Saturday to the 14600 block of Perkins Road near Woodstock for a house fire. Firefighters arrived to “a large volume of fire showing from an attached garage” of a two-story home, district communication specialist Alex Vucha said in a news release.

Firefighters aggressively attacked the fire from the inside and outside of the home, preventing the blaze from spreading farther into the house. The fire was considered under control within 35 minutes, Vucha said.

The house has been deemed uninhabitable until repairs can be made. The American Red Cross is assisting three occupants with temporary housing.

One firefighter was evaluated at the scene for heat exhaustion, Vucha said. Residents in the home were able to escape unharmed before first responders arrived as working smoke detectors alerted them.

First responders requested assisted through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System because of the complexity of the fire and an outside heat index nearing 90 degrees. Fourteen neighboring fire districts assisted Woodstock, Vucha said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the district, but it not believed to be suspicious in nature, Vucha said.

The district has a joint effort with the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance to provide free smoke detectors, which help reduce the risk of fire-related deaths, Vucha said.

The detectors are free, but must be installed by the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, Vucha said. Visit wfrd.org/smoke-detectors for information.