(PLAINFIELD) A blaze at a southwest suburban home early Thursday may require the complete teardown of the structure, a fire official said.
Firefighters were called to a home near Fox River and Ottawa streets in Plainfield at 1:30 a.m. and found the second-floor “well involved” with fire, Plainfield Fire Protection District Chief Dave Riddle told a reporter at the scene.
People on the first floor had exited on their own, Riddle said. One woman could be seen being taken away by an ambulance at the scene.
The second floor had too much fire to enter right away, and firefighters had to saw the top of the roof to release flames, Riddle said. In the meantime, officials discovered that a person thought to be on that floor had already exited without injuries, Riddle said.
The building is in a historic part of town, Riddle said. While construction makes it harder for firefighters to enter the building, he said the type of wood used in the home helped keep the flames contained.
The exact time of extinguishment wasn’t known but it appeared flames were put out by 2:40 a.m. Companies from nearby Troy and Lockport helped, Riddle said.
“At this point right now I’d say (the home) may be a total loss,” Riddle said.
