'Stubborn' Fire Burns For Hours In Vacant Lake Forest House

LAKE FOREST, IL — Firefighters battled a blaze in a vacant Lake Forest house in freezing temperatures for about three hours Thursday.

Shortly before 6:30 p.m., a passerby and several neighbors reported a house on fire, according to Lake Forest Fire Department Division Chief Mike Gallo.

Firefighters arrived to the Evergreen subdivision to find an under-construction house with visible flames and smoke coming from inside.

After getting a hose into the house, officials upgraded the alarm to bring in more crews to fight the "stubborn" fire, according to Gallo.

It was almost 9:30 p.m. by the time fire crews were able to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters then checked the structure to make sure it was fully extinguished.

The home's basement and first floor were damaged by fire, smoke and water, according to the division chief. There was also smoke damage to the second floor.

While not inhabitable, the house is still structurally sound, Gallo said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Construction on the stone French Provincial-style house appeared to have been nearly complete, with painting underway the day of the fire.

Property records show the 1.4-acre lot where the home is being built was last sold for $460,000 more than four years ago.

The fire departments of Lake Bluff, Lincolnshire, Highland Park, Gurnee, Zion, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, North Chicago, Countryside, Libertyville, Northbrook, Zion, Wheeling, Northfield, Glencoe, Waukegan and Great Lakes assisted Lake Forest, according to Gallo.

No firefighters or residents were injured in the incident.