PEORIA COUNTY, Ill. — One top Dunlap Fire Protection commander says fire crews didn’t have much of a chance to stop flames which fully engulfed a home in rural Peoria County late Thursday.
“It was just going when we got here and we were really just totally behind the eight ball from the get go,” said Chief Jim Hanson near the scene.
The mutual aid fire response was called in sometime before 6 p.m. at an address along West Challacombe Road between North Ford and North Trigger Roads.
At first, onlookers reportedly as far away as East Peoria as well as close neighbors and passers-by could see a massive column of thick black smoke rising above the property. Lighter gray smoke could still be seen as late as 7:30 p.m.
It did not initially appear as though any injuries resulted from the blaze.
Sources say some household pets may have perished. Hanson could not confirm that.
An official cause has not been determined. The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office is helping investigate.
