Whenever fire officials investigate the cause of a fire that destroys homes, lessons can and should be learned.
The fire that destroyed two homes on Saffron Trail in Sun City’s Neighborhood 36 on May 6 started about 2 p.m. in an electrical appliance in the garage of one of two homes that were destroyed, according to Al Schlick, deputy chief of the Huntley Fire Protection District. Fanned by a gusty wind, the blaze quickly spread to other nearby combustibles in the garage, and then to homes on either side.
“It was an accidental cause, but we haven’t discovered any other details of the source, because the garage was totally consumed by the flames that engulfed the garage by the time we arrived,” he said.
“This fire provides a lesson that homeowners need to check their garages for the number and amount of combustibles,” Schlick added.
These include holiday decorations, containers of gasoline, motor oil, or other chemicals, Christmas trees, etc. At this house, Schlick said the fire spread to a vehicle parked in the garage, and the gasoline tank in the vehicle ruptured.
There were no injuries. Firefighters from Woodstock, Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills, and Algonquin assisted the Huntley Fire Protection District for five hours until the fire was completely extinguished.
The fire spread briefly to a home owned by Frank and Genevieve Partipilo, scarring the siding and damaging a window. There also was significant water damage to the inside of their home, according to Genevieve.
