Fire Guts Effingham House

(THE REAR OF THE HOME AT 112 FOREST STREET)

A fire gutted an Effingham house Saturday afternoon. No one was injured.

Effingham Fire Chief Joe Holomy said firefighters were called to 112 Forest Street at 4:42pm. The house is owned by Ross Stephens, who lives next door at 114 Forest. Jesse McClellan lived in the house. McClellan was at home at the time of the fire. He told a neighbor he heard a noise and then noticed smoke.

Holomy said the first arriving firefighters saw heavy smoke at the back of the residence. He said it started outside the house in the rear, but isn't ready to say what caused the fire. He said the fire is not suspicious in origin, but said an investigator will visit the site Monday to help determine the cause.

(THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE AT 112 FOREST STREET)

Holomy said firefighters tried three different times to enter the house, but were twice driven out by the fire and smoke. The aerial truck poured water on the fire from the top, finally allowing entry to the house. There was a partial roof collapse just after 5pm, leading Holomy to call a box alarm, summoning additional firefighters. Firefighters from Teutopolis and Watson provided initial assistance, but Altamont, Dieterich, Sigel and Shumway firefighters provided additional help when the box alarm was sounded, either on scene or staffing the Effingham stations.

Holomy said the brisk winds hampered firefighting efforts. Different renovation and subdividing efforts inside the house also had to be addressed during the firefighting efforts.

The chief said EMS crews on scene frequently checked the physical condition of those fighting the fire due to the heat of the day. Holomy said he might have been a little more conscious of monitoring the health of the firefighters. That's because his son, Matt, who is a firefighter in northern Illinois, was on the scene of a house fire today in which a 32-year-old firefighter died, apparently due to cardiac arrest.

Firefighters finally were back in the station close to 8pm, but were called back for a rekindle just after 8:30pm and put out some flames on a corner of the house.