Chimney Fire Devastates Ford County Home: Family Displaced as House Declared Total Loss

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ELLIOTT, Ill. (WCIA) — A family in Ford County faces displacement after a devastating fire, ignited by a chimney flue, ravaged their home and spread to the attic, rendering the house a complete loss.

The incident unfolded on Saturday evening in the vicinity of Market and High Streets in Elliott, with emergency services receiving the alert shortly before 6:30 p.m.

To tackle the blaze, Elliott Fire Chief Bill Smith explained that additional support was essential. Firefighters from Gibson City and Roberts-Melvin arrived to assist, and the combined effort required nearly five hours to extinguish the fire.

Chief Smith noted that the fierce winds that night significantly hampered firefighting efforts, describing the gusts as akin to adding fuel to the flames.

“It’s fuel. So, when you get wind, it just makes everything go. You get a small ember, and it’ll take off into a full flame,” Smith said.

He added that the wind blowing at 35 miles per hour was pushing the fire through every corner of the house. It left the home a total loss, and the family is displaced.

“It is a mother, her daughter and a grandchild,” Smith said.

The family was able to get out, but the grandchild was taken to the hospital after inhaling smoke. Fire crews were able to clear the scene by 11 p.m., but that wasn’t the last time they’d be there.

“We dumped a lot of water on it late Saturday night before we left and thought we had everything out. We used the image cameras and looked at all that, and everything looked like it was out,” Smith said.

However, the fire reignited Sunday around 5:30 a.m. They were able to put it out in an hour.

“I’m assuming that there was probably just a small ember, and then the wind was still blowing this morning really good. It caught it back in the bottom of the chimney area and then had it going back through there again,” Smith added.

Ford County Emergency Management Agency is helping the family find shelter. Smith also shared that the best way to prevent a chimney fire is to use precaution by getting your chimney cleaned and inspected every year.