A La Grange Park home sustained significant damage after downed power lines caused the home to catch fire during Wednesday’s storm.
Firefighters were called to the 900 block of Meadowcrest Road around 6:30 p.m., where they discovered primary power lines burning on top of and adjacent to the home.
Com Ed was alerted and firefighters deployed hose lines to protect the home and surrounding structures, but were unable to operate them near the electrical equipment. While the residents of the home were initially allowed to stay inside, the rear of the home caught fire shortly after firefighters arrived, forcing the occupants to evacuate.
Firefighters then entered the home with a hose line and attempted to extinguish the fire from the inside. But parts of the fire soon became “highly energized” forcing firefighters to evacuate and wait for Com Ed to arrive, according to a news release from the La Grange Park Fire Department.
ComEd arrived around 7:10 p.m. and cut power to the area, which de-energized the downed power lines, allowing firefighters to reenter the home and extinguish the fire.
Damage is estimated at approximately $100,000. Nobody was injured during the incident.
The specific cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire department said there were initial reports that the power lines fell due to a lightening strike, but that was not confirmed as of Thursday morning.
Firefighters from Brookfield, La Grange, Western Springs, Westchester and Westmont assisted La Grange Park firefighters at the scene.
More Top Picks How To Lower Stress Naturally