Structure Fire on West Eiche Tuesday Morning

Fire damaged a house in Effingham Tuesday morning.

The house is located at 105 West Eiche Avenue, the home of Dalton Dasenbrock and his girlfriend Taylor Overbeck, their baby, and two dogs. All are safe and unharmed.

No one was at home when smoke was spotted at 10:30am. Effingham Fire Chief Bob Tutko said firefighters had to force open the front door to gain entry. Through what Tutko called "an aggressive interior attack" crews were able to gain control of the fire in about 10 minutes. The fire had consumed most of the kitchen and had worked its way into the attic space. Additional fire crews performed a search of the structure and were able to locate the two dogs, which were turned over to neighbors.

Fire Investigators determined that the fire was caused by a kitchen stove burner accidentally left in the "on" position, which ignited nearby materials on the kitchen countertop. The fire spread to the upper cabinets and then into the attic space. Once the fire was out, firefighters began using fans to get the smoke out of the structure. Effingham Fire Chief Bob Tutko said the fire, which was ruled accidental, caused an estimated $75,000 damage.

Effingham firefighters were joined at the scene by Effingham police, Shumway FPD, Abbott EMS and AmerenIllinois. Altamont and Edgewood Fire Departments provided back fill coverage at the vacated Effingham stations.