Whiteside County sheriff: ‘One of the worst house fires I’ve seen in a long time'

STERLING – A body was discovered Monday afternoon inside a residence that caught fire Sunday in an unincorporated town outside of Sterling.

The fire at 5500 Mill Street in Emerson began about 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19. That day, fire crews made multiple attempts to search the interior of the structure, but were forced to evacuate due to heavy fire conditions and a partial collapse of the ceiling on the first floor, according to a news release from the Sterling Fire Department.

During a recovery mission conducted at the residence Monday, the Sterling Fire Department, Illinois State Fire Marshal and Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office discovered a body inside the home about 2:30 p.m., Whiteside County Sheriff John F. Booker said in an interview with Shaw Local.

The body has not yet been identified, Booker said.

On Sunday, Sterling and Rock Falls firefighters and CGH EMS were called to the scene for a reported structure fire with flames and smoke visible. Mutual aid from surrounding departments – including Dixon Rural Fire and Polo – was requested while units were en route, according to the release.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 10

Firefighters pour water onto a fire Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, at 5500 Mill Street in Emerson. (Alex T. Paschal)

Sterling firefighters arrived on scene within 10 minutes and found heavy smoke and fire conditions throughout the first floor of the structure. A second alarm was requested later, bringing a total of 16 departments to the scene, according to the release.

“This was one of the worst house fires I’ve seen in a long time,” Booker said. “A huge thank you to all the fire departments that responded to this... They did a fantastic job.”

Booker said the weather played a role in it because of the extreme cold.

Firefighters ran into some problems, “with a little bit of issues with the equipment, but nothing that hindered or caused any problems with them fighting the fire,” he said.

Water was transported to the scene as Emerson doesn’t have municipal water. On scene, departments filled up a small pool-like container with water, which was then sprayed onto the house.

A salt truck was brought out to the scene after water runoff froze on the roads.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Sterling Fire Department, Illinois Fire Marshal and the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.