This from Tyler Tobolt:
Few photos I took at the McHenry Township 3rd Alarm on Tender Box 5-1274 for the house fire on (11/11/15). Fully engulfed home due to a lightning strike.– Thanks Tyler Tobolt.
Tyler Tobolt photo
Tyler Tobolt photo
Tyler Tobolt photo
Excerpts from the NorthwestHerald.com:
A lightning strike might have caused a fire that destroyed a McHenry home, but fire officials said it was other elements that kept them at the scene of the blaze until about 12:30 a.m. Thursday
McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Mike Majercik said crews had to call in tankers to bring water to the two-story home at 607 Silver Glen Road because the area does not have fire hydrants. That, paired with the high winds blowing as firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze made for a difficult battle.
“The fact that it was so windy and the fact that we didn’t have water really let the fire get a jump on us,” Majercik said.
McHenry Fire struck a Box alarm about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, and by 10 p.m. flames were still seen coming from the two-story structure. Lt. Mike Kempster said the lingering flames were from a gas main that hadn’t been shut off. Nicor arrived about 10:30 p.m., Kempster said. Firefighters reported having the fire under control within 90 minutes.
Winds were gusting up to 35 mph when the fire started and by the time firefighters left the scene about 1 a.m., gusts were approaching to 40 mph.
The fire completely destroyed the house. He estimated the damage to be $450,000 when considering the house and all its contents.
Firefighters have not officially ruled the lightning strike as the cause of the fire, but Majercik said the homeowners reported hearing a loud sound on the roof before a neighbor called to say the roof was on fire.
