UPDATED 3:39 P.M.
PEORIA, Ill. – A home in Peoria’s Averyville neighborhood is being torn down Thursday after fire ravaged it.
Peoria firefighters were called to the home near Madison and Camblin 10:50 a.m. and remained on scene hours later.
The fire started in the home’s basement, and proved to be almost too dangerous even for firefighters at first.
“Crews made entry into the first floor, and partially in to the basement, where they caught a lot of heat and fire and smoke,” says Steve Rada, Peoria Fire Battalion Chief. “We ended up having to pull them out due to the amount of radiant heat that was coming. This fire had a huge jump start on us. This was a fully growing fire when we got here.”
Rada says extra crews had to be called, and a shift into a “defensive attack” needed to be done, so that the fire didn’t spread to other homes.
“This was one of those fires where it was hard to find it,” said Rada. “And when the (first) floor collapsed into the basement, now you’ve got that fire burning under it, and you can’t get to it. That’s the problem.”
Rada says it’s possible the fire in the basement had been brewing even before the homeowner spotted it. And that leads to an important lesson.
“I’m not for sure if they had them, but that’s why we encourage people to have smoke detectors on every floor. That’s why we encourage people not to take batteries out of smoke detectors,” said Rada. “We encourage that because that will alert you to a fire right in what we call the ‘incipient’ (initial) stage right where it starts to grow, and where you can activate 911.”
The Fire Department still has a supply of smoke detectors, and can come and install one for you, for free.
As for this fire, Rada says every tool the department had in its playbook to put out the fire had to be used, including cutting holes in the roof, and calling in extra engines to help.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated, and an emergency demolition occurred because the home was a total loss.
(Reporting by Will Stevenson, WMBD Radio News)
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PEORIA, Ill. – A home in the Averyville neighborhood had to be demolished after a Thursday morning fire.
Peoria Fire Battalion Chief Steve Rada says crews were called just before 11:00 A.M. to the fire at the home in the area of NE Madison and Camblin.
The homeowner had discovered the fire starting in the home’s basement, but was unsure of how long it had been going for.
The fire quickly spread through the rest of the house.
Extra crews were called in to help battle the fire, which was described as a “blinding situation” at times.
Poles had to be cut in the roof to get to the fire, and crews went into a “defensive mode.”
There were no injuries to firefighters or anyone in the home.
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PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) – A “very labor intensive” fire damaged a home in the Averyville neighborhood this (Thursday) morning.
The home is located in the area of Northeast Madison and Camblin.
25 News reports the fire started in the basement and quickly spread to the attic.
A division chief called the fire “deep-seated” and the situation “dangerous” because there’s only one way in and out.
Everyone was out of the home when firefighters arrived on scene.
Two firefighters are reported safe after a mayday was called.
