A fire did about $75,000 to $100,000 worth of damages at 1001 Eldridge St. Saturday morning.
Washington firefighters responded to the call at about 9 a.m.
Fire captain Jason Cook was the first to arrive at the home.
“When we got there, the garage was fully engulfed and the fire was impending on the house,” he said.
The homeowner’s daughter was standing in the driveway while her mother was inside the residence looking for her husband whom she did not know was not in the residence.
“Seeing that the house wasn’t actually involved, it wasn’t a big deal at first, but the fire was impending on the house and we needed to make sure we got her out of there,” Cook said.
With the two occupants safely out of the house, 12 firefighters from the Washington Fire Department, four from Eureka, seven from Northern Tazewell and five from Morton worked to put out the fire. Volunteers from Germantown Hills and Metamora covered the Washington Fire Department to run ambulance calls if needed.
Holes were cut in the home’s roof to put out the fire, which had spread from the garage to the house and into the attic.
According to Cook, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“The homeowner said he was using a meat smoker at the time, but it was not close enough to the garage to have caused the fire,” he said adding that it has not been completely ruled out as a cause of the fire.
Estimated damage costs from the fire are about $75,000 to $100,000, which includes a newer Chevy Impala that was burned in the garage and other garage contents and construction costs for new drywall, a new roof and siding for the home.
After the fire, Washington firefighter Brian Barron went to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center to be treated for minor burns on his leg.
He was treated and released the same day.
