Decatur Firefighters Brave Early Morning Blaze, Urgently Rescue Residents Displaced by House Fire

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DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — Early Saturday morning, the Decatur Fire Department was called to tackle a house fire that has left several residents without a home.

The alarm was raised around 3:30 a.m. when reports came in about a fire at a home on the 1700 block of North Church Street. Witnesses indicated that flames were visibly erupting from the building.

The initial fire engine to arrive at the scene found a sizable two-and-a-half-story home with flames emerging from a rear first-floor window. Firefighters swiftly deployed a hose through the front entrance to combat the blaze.

According to Decatur Fire officials, residents of the house feared that a woman might have been trapped in an upstairs bedroom. Firefighters used a ladder to reach the window of the bedroom and initiated a search. Fortunately, no one was found inside, and it was later confirmed that the woman was not present during the incident.

Other crews on scene assisted by conducting searches of the residence for other possible victims and establishing water supply. Decatur Fire said the residence was split up into two apartments, making this fire more labor intensive.

They said because of the coordinated effort, the fire was quickly brought under control. Crews remained on scene for several hours checking for hidden spot fires. A cat was found to have died in the fire.

No injuries to people were reported during this incident. The occupants were displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross. The cause of this fire remains under investigation by the Decatur Fire Department Investigations Bureau.

The following Decatur Fire units responded to this incident: