No injuries at Orland Home seriously damaged by fire
Lightning suspected, officials said. The family was on vacation
The Orland Fire Protection District responded to a fire reported in a home located on the 108th block of West Scarlet Drive in Orland Park early Wednesday morning.
The fire was reported at about 2:46 am on Wednesday July 29, 2015 and initial arriving fire companies found heavy fire had spread through the attic and roof areas of the 5,000 square foot residential home. Firefighters reported that heat radiating from the blaze was extensive.
OFPD Chief Ken Brucki said that firefighters immediately went into a defensive position to get the fire under control preventing any injuries.
“This fire had a tremendous amount of heat and it concerned us,” Brucki said. “We were concerned about structures around the property and took appropriate precautions to keep nearby properties safe.”
Brucki said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
“Crews were able to conduct a rapid primary search to confirm there were no occupants in the property at the time, and we were able to verify that the family was vacationing,” Brucki said.
The alarm was elevated to a full still to bring in additional companies. A total of two aerial master streams and five large diameter hand-lines were required to extinguish the fire.
The structure suffered major fire damage to the entire roof and extensive damage to the interior of the structure from fire, smoke, and water.
It took approximately an hour to bring the fire under control.
Brucki said one possible cause of the fire may be lightning noting “there was a tremendous amount of lightning in the area at approximately the same time of the fire.”
Brucki also said that the fire department was able to deploy a drone to assist in quickly identifying the fire location on the home.
“It was a very large home and the drone helped give us an immediate, aerial view of the property and the fire,” Brucki said. “The aerial view assisted the Battalion Chief to direct suppression efforts to bring the fire under control.”
VIDEO:
Drone still Pic’s Links
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