Fire Damages House in Effingham (UPDATE)

Fire did significant damage to a house at 908 South 4th Street in Effingham Friday.

Firefighters were called to the scene about 11am. No injuries resulted.

The home was occupied by the Scott Nestler family. Mr. Nestler said they had taken their dogs for a walk and when they returned home, they found the fire. The Nestlers were living in the home with their four children. Again, no one was injured.

(ANOTHER VIEW OF THE FIRE SCENE)

Effingham and Teutopolis firefighters were on scene while other companies staffed the Effingham stations in case of another call.

Effingham Fire Chief Brant Yochum said they are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but he said it began in the kitchen. Chief Yochum said firefighters were notified of the fire at 11:03am. On arrival, fire crews had smoke visible from the first floor windows. Crews sprayed water through the window, then headed inside. The fire was contained to the first floor kitchen area, but the entire house had significant smoke and heat damage. 

Fire units remained on scene for approximately two hours. 

Agencies that assisted were Effingham City Dispatch, Effingham Police Department, Rural Med EMS, the Teutopolis, Shumway, Altamont, St. Elmo and Edgewood Fire Protection Districts, and Ameren Electric and Gas.

All fire companies had cleared the scene by shortly after 1pm Friday.