At roughly 4:40AM on the morning of June 27th, the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Department in MABAS Division 12 received a call from a homeowner in the 500 block of Dawes Avenue reporting his house was on fire.

Glen Ellyn firefighters arrived to find heavy fire blowing out of the front door at this house on Dawes Avenue. From the street, the house had two floors, but the story was different from the rear. Stephen Wilcox photo

Stephen Wilcox arrived as the first companies did and submitted information about the fire, commentary, plus several images.

500 block of Dawes, Glen Ellyn. 6/27/11 @ 0440 hours. This fire went to a MABAS box. The family self-evacated through the lower level rear double doors, they said. 

The Daily Herald reports that:

The homeowners were awakened by smoke detectors and escaped without injury, according to Craig Eldridge, spokesman for the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company.

As seen from the 'B-C' corner, fire has taken over the basement and first floor rear. Stephen Wilcox photo

Stephen adds:

Going towards the rear, the escape window is on the right side of the shot and we begin to see the conditions in the rear (“C”). There is a double sliding glass door in the middle of the lower level; a deck goes all across the back of the house and fire has taken hold of this sector.

The rear of the house is fully involved. Stephen Wilcox photo

More from Stephen:

Our first look at the fire in the rear. Need I mention the absolute necessity of doing a 360° walk around the fire building at all fires. It is surely a different ballgame with the information visible here. The point of origin was between the steps on the right and the double door opening. A cooking pit had been used earlier and replaced, in that area along with three propane tanks. All the tanks exploded adding the initial energy to the

fire spread. The family is reported to have self evacuated through those double doors.

Firefighter use hand lines to knock the fire down. Stephen Wilcox photo

Also from Stephen:

Two and a half inch lines were used to knock this fire before the tower was brought into play to finish the job.

The fire is mostly under control by now. The water supply was lean. The water mains in the area are only four inch so it was necessary to control water usage. The tower had great placement to reach the roof-attic area. Both collapsed as did the second floor during this fight.

Fire still burns in the attic and through the roof as the first floor and basement areas have been knocked down. Stephen Wilcox photo

As the sun rises, the extent of the damage becomes clearly visible. Stephen Wilcox photo

Tags: Glen Ellyn house fire on Dawes, Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Department, house fully engulfed in fire, house fully involved in fire, smoke detectors save family, Stephen Wilcox