Excerpts from the Daily Herald:

[a] house was unoccupied when fire broke out before midnight on Thursday, authorities said. … the homeowner …  returned to his house around 2 a.m. to see it up in flames.

Firefighters remained outside the house on the 800 block of North Kaspar Avenue throughout much of Friday, continually putting out hot spots as they flared up. By Friday night, firefighters said, fire operations ceased, and the building was torn down.

Without describing the contents, Arlington Heights Fire Department officials said a “high fire content load” inside the two-story, single-family home kept the fire burning long after the first firefighting crews arrived on scene about 11:45 p.m. Thursday.

Authorities said fire was coming through the roof and first- and second-floor windows when they arrived. But firefighters were unable to make entry into the house due to the excessive flames and heat.

The below-zero overnight temperatures also presented a challenge for [firefighters], who were unable to use the nearest hydrant because it was frozen. After accessing a working hydrant some 300 feet away, firefighters … were able to contain the blaze without it spreading to nearby houses, officials said.

thanks Dan

Tim Olk visited the scene this morning.

Tim Olk photo

Tim Olk photo

Tim Olk photo

Tags: aftermath of house fire, Arlington Heights Fire Department, demolition crew takes down house destroyed by fire, hoarder house burns in Arlington Heights, Tim Olk