VIDEO: Basement/House fire with heavy smoke on South Fernandez Avenue.
Arlington Heights police and firefighter/paramedics responded about 5:06 p.m. Wednesday to a report of a house fire with a lot of smoke in the 1100 block of South Fernandez Avenue. A police officer first on the scene reported a man — the homeowner — escaped, but had some burn injuries. Firefighters reported they had a basement fire, and immediately worked to attack the fire. Firefighter/paramedics immediately gave aid to the homeowner and transported him to Northwest Community Hospital.
Firefighters went into the basement for an interior attack, but heavy, blowing smoke, and intense heat in the basement forced them to back out. Firefighters deployed a cellar nozzle in a south window well to the basement, but fire was able to spread to the first floor. Firefighters were ventilating on the second floor roof, and firefighters were on the sunroom roof ventilating windows when part of the first floor collapsed. No firefighters were inside the house when the floor collapsed. Firefighters on the sunroom roof were immediately ordered off of the sunroom roof. Firefighters had about five lines on the fire. Extension to the first floor initially flared up and threatened to ignite the rear first floor of the house and sunroom after part of the first floor collapsed. However, firefighters were able to keep the fire in check with multiple hose lines and two cellar nozzles on the fire.
Arlington Heights fire command called for a MABAS Box Alarm for an extra alarm fire at about 5:26 p.m.
One Arlington Heights firefighter was apparently overcome by the basement heat or was injured when he was near a flashover that might have occurred in the basement. He was transported to Northwest Community Hospital, but was well enough to be frustrated with his predicament and his requirement to leave the scene. He was apparently released later that night — not confirmed, officially.
The fire was declared struck out at about 7:10 p.m. Firefighters were at the scene working and preparing for investigation past 10:45 a.m.
Firefighters from Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Elk Grove Township, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Palatine Rural, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and others assisted Arlington Heights firefighters either at the scene or covering the rest of the village.
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