Ogle County home destroyed by fire; crews battle blaze, ice

OREGON – Firefighters battled a house fire Tuesday morning north of Oregon in sub-zero temperatures made worse by a stiff wind.

Oregon Fire Chief Michael Knoup said his department received the call at 5:30 a.m. and found the home’s attached garage engulfed in flames when crews arrived at the rural residence, 1723 E. Spring Creek Road, 5 miles north of town.

“When we first got there, the garage was fully involved, and the roof had collapsed,” Knoup said. “At that point, the whole attic space of the house had flames coming out all the roof vents.”

The home’s sole resident was on the second floor of the newer, two-story residence when he heard a noise and went downstairs to investigate, Knoup said.

“He woke up when he heard something crash, and when he went downstairs, the smoke alarms were activated. He was able to exit the home with his dog,” Knoup said.

Firefighters also had to contend with frigid temperatures as they battled the blaze.

“The weather was brutal,” Knoup said. “It was minus 9 degrees when we arrived, and the windchill was around 30 below. Our equipment and hoses kept icing up.”

The call was upgraded to a third alarm fire because of the weather.

“We took it to a third alarm due to the extreme cold temperatures and conditions,” Knoup said.

He said it appears the fire started in the garage, but the cause still is under investigation.

“The [Office of the Illinois] State Fire Marshal is investigating,” Knoup said.

Crews remained at the scene throughout the day, continuing to douse hot spots.

“It was really tough to get to all the areas that were still burning,” Knoup said.

One firefighter was injured when he fell on the ice. He was taken to a Rockford hospital, evaluated and then released.

Knoup thanked all the area fire departments and districts for helping with the blaze.

“We really appreciate all the mutual aid and everyone coming to help us,” he said.

Some of the fire departments providing mutual aid were Mt. Morris, Stillman Valley, Lynn-Scott-Rock, Franklin Grove, Ashton, Polo, Rochelle and Leaf River.