DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — The Decatur Fire Department and Illinois State Fire Marshal are jointly investigating a house fire that was deemed suspicious.
The fire happened at 229 East Stuart Avenue just before 2 p.m. on Friday. Firefighters responded to that address and found a large fire inside the attached garage, with the flames extending into the attic. Firefighters attempted to attack the flames from the inside but were forced to retreat due to heavy fire blowing from the second floor and the attic.
Firefighters then adopted a defensive stance, fighting the fire from the outside. One of their operations included raising an aerial ladder to cut open the roof and pour water into the attic. The fire eventually reached two-alarm status, with a second aerial truck being called to the scene to assist from above.
The fire was eventually brought under control around 4 p.m. although firefighters remained on scene after to conduct overhaul. No firefighters were hurt and the house was vacant at the time of the blaze.