Fire Near Burr Ridge: Neighbor Helps Resident Out Window, Chief Says

The lone occupant of the house at the time of the fire was not injured, Tri-State Fire Protection District Chief Michelle Gibson said, but a dog inside died.

A house fire in an unincorporated portion of DuPage County near Burr Ridge claimed the life of a family dog, but no residents were injured Monday afternoon, Tri-State Fire Protection District Chief Michelle Gibson said. Tri-State was called to the full still fire near the intersection of Highland Road and Central Avenue, just west of Route 83, at 12:05 p.m., Gibson said. One occupant was inside the house when the fire started. "Apparently a neighbor helped him out a front window," Gibson said, pointing to one of the first-floor bedroom windows. The occupant did not require medical attention, Gibson said.  The chief said there was heavy smoke and heavy winds made it a difficult fire to fight. The fire, which Gibson said began in the kitchen…

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Joe O'Donnell

9:19 am on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Wow! Thanks for sharing, Margie!   more ›

Cause of Hinsdale Fire Last Week Still Undetermined

Hinsdale Fire Department Chief Rick Ronovsky said the insurance company that covers the home will continue the investigation and determine a cause in the accidental fire.

The Hinsdale Fire Department has ruled the Feb. 28 fire on Bruner Street that hospitalized two an "undetermined accidental fire," and will let the insurance company that covers the home investigate further, Chief Rick Ronovsky said. Ronovsky said there are still several possible causes, ranging from mechanical, to electrical, to human-caused. To determine the actual cause, the department would have to bring in several special investigators to rule out the other possibilities. "We're going to turn it over to the insurance company and let them take care of it," Ronovsky said. The fire in the 900 block of Bruner was reported at 3:51 a.m. Thursday by a male resident who said his elderly mother was still inside the home. READ: Elderly Woman …

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Condition of Woman Rescued from Hinsdale Fire Upgraded to 'Good'

The woman in her early 90s was rescued from a home in the 900 block of South Bruner Street after it went up in flames early Thursday morning.

Updated Monday at 12:36 p.m. The woman who was rescued from a Hinsdale fire last week is in "good condition" Monday, according to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital spokesperson Christopher LaFortune. He declined to comment on what the patient had been treated for and an expected release date. "Because of patient privacy rules, her condition is all we can release at this time," he said. Original story from Sunday: The elderly woman who was rescued by firefighters from a burning Hinsdale home Thursday morning was in fair condition late last week, according to a spokesman for Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. "As of Friday, her condition was fair," public relations specialist Christopher LaFortune said in an email Saturday.   Fire department spokesman …

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Elderly Woman Rescued from Burning House in Hinsdale

The woman was revived on the scene by Hinsdale firefighters and was transported to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital with one other victim.

Updated at 11:37 a.m. The Bruner Street home that went up in flames early Thursday morning was equipped with smoke detectors, but it is not known if they were in working condition when the fire started, The Doings reported.  The paper is also reporting that the residents' dog was killed in the fire and that the home is currently "uninhabitable." 10:26 a.m. The woman who was rescued from a burning home in the 900 block of South Bruner Street early Thursday morning was in "critical" condition when she was transported to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, Hinsdale Fire Chief Rick Ronovsky said. "The last we heard, she was in the intensive care unit," Ronovsky said around 10:15 a.m. According to the chief, the woman who was revived by firefighters …

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Joe O'Donnell

8:34 am on Monday, March 4, 2013

Agreed, Jim. Thanks for the comment.   more ›

Hinsdale Garage Fire Does $70,000 in Damage

The cause of the fire, which took place in southeast Hinsdale, is unknown at this point, a fire department release said.

A garage fire in southeast Hinsdale Saturday evening did an estimated $70,000 in damage but resulted in only minor injuries for the homeowner, according to a Hinsdale Fire Department release sent out Sunday. Around 5:33 p.m. Southwest Central Dispatch got a call from the owner of the house at 28 E. 57th St. reporting a fire in her garage. "The first arriving Hinsdale Fire Department unit reported a fully involved attached garage fire with flames and heavy smoke coming from the front of the garage," the release reads. "Upon hearing this information, Captain Kevin Votava upgraded the response to a box alarm, which brought additional mutual aid companies to the scene to assist Hinsdale fire crews." A swift response of the initial crew on the …

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Madison Street Fire: Foul Play 'Not Ruled Out' as Investigation Continues

Tri-State Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Jack Mancione said it has not been determined if foul play led to the Nov. 15 fire that damaged three business spaces, but it hasn't been ruled out.

The cause of the Nov. 15 Madison Street fire that hospitalized three and received an 18-department response is still under investigation nearly two weeks later, and foul play has not been ruled out, Tri-State Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Jack Mancione said Tuesday. Mancione said the fire damaged two businesses occupying the three spaces in the building at 7580 Madison Street. Pitch Black, a seal coat company, is where the fire began. The company occupies two of the spaces, both of which were damaged by the fire. A fitness center occupies the third space and had some smoke damage. "Right now the building is tagged, so they can’t occupy the business," Mancione said of the fitness center. The deputy chief said seal coat and tar …

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UPDATE: Madison Street Fire Hospitalizes 3, Cause Under Investigation

Firefighters responded to the fire at 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon and extinguished it by 4:45 p.m.; Madison Street was closed until 6:30 p.m.

UPDATE: Madison Street Fire Hospitalizes 3, Cause Under Investigation

Firefighters responded to the fire at 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon and extinguished it by 4:45 p.m.; Madison Street was closed until 6:30 p.m.

Updated Friday at 11:55 a.m. Two out of three businesses in the building at 7585 Madison St. were damaged Thursday night by a fire that received an 18-department response and closed a portion of Madison between I-55 and Plainfield Road for three hours, Tri-State Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Jack Mancione said Friday. Three people were transported to area hospitals. One police officer and one building occupant were transported for smoke inhalation, and one person watching the fire was transported after taking a fall. Mancione said all three were in stable condition. Two occupants were removed from the building by firefighters during the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Mancione said, and that investigation …

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Joe O'Donnell

12:01 pm on Friday, November 16, 2012

That's correct, Marty.   more ›

New Law Forces Murderers, Violent Offenders to Register With Police

Murderers and other violent offenders will now be listed in a database for 10 years after their release from prison.

Eighteen offenders in DuPage County have registered with their local police departments in compliance with a new law that took effect Jan. 1, 2012. Andrea’s Law, named after Andrea Will, an Eastern Illinois University student killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1998, created a first-degree murderer database, similar to the Illinois Sex Offender Registry. The database also includes those convicted of general violent crimes against youth. Will's ex-boyfriend, Justin Boulay, formerly of St. Charles, was convicted of strangling the 19-year-old Batavia woman to death while both were students at EIU. Boulay was sentenced to 24 years in prison before a change to the state’s “Truth in Sentencing” system that required those convicted of crimes to …

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Minor Electrical Fire Damages Basement, First Floor of Home

A small electrical fire causes damage to the basement and first floor of a home on Timber Ridge Drive.

Smoke from a small electrical fire damaged the basement and first floor of a home located at 8544 Timber Ridge Dr. today calling on crews from about 15 fire departments, according to Tri-State Fire Protection District Fire Chief Michelle Gibson. Tri-State responded to the fire at 5:52 p.m. after the owners of the home heard a loud pop from an electrical panel attached to the exterior wall of the home. Smoke traveled from the panel into the home and inside the walls and ceiling, said Gibson. Crews took down parts of the basement interior to eliminate the risk of a fire breaking out inside the walls. No one was hurt in the incident.

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