Night Fire Destroys Garage on Batavia's West Side

A detached garage was leveled and another was partially damaged in a fire early this morning in unincorporated Batavia.

The fire occurred on a family's property at 1151 Woodland Avenue, west of the Fox River and Fox River Trail and east of Route 31. Fire crews were dispatched to the scene at 4:17 a.m. this morning, according to a press release.

Firefighters arrived to find the garage fully engulfed. The garage didn't hold any cars, but the owner told investigators that he did have one or two cans of gasoline in the garage.

"Our main priority was to put out the exposure (fire)," said Chief Randy Deicke, referring to the second fire that started from the first one. Another detached garage to the north of the fire site began to burn, but it will be salvageable.

The original fire did not spread to the home, which included three children. The family was alerted by police who knocked on their door, said Mary Lynn Ross, a resident who lives three houses away from the fire site.

The garage was behind and directly west of a house that faces east towards the river. The house is one of several that line Woodland Avenue.

The cause and origin of the fire were still under investigation late Wednesday morning, according to a press release.

There was an estimated $30,000 in structural damages and $20,000 in damages to contents of the garage, the release said.

Fire crews had the blaze under control by 5 a.m. Wednesday.

"It Lit Up The Sky"

Mary Lynn Ross got out of bed to use the bathroom early Wednesday morning. That's when she looked out the window and first noticed the blaze from the garage down the street.

She called out to her husband that there was a fire. He also took a glance outside.

"I saw flames—it lit up the sky," he said.

After a 911 call, the Rosses headed three houses down to check on the family. Police officers were already there, running up and knocking on doors to alert the family and their neighbors.

As the fire crews moved into place, a neighbor that lived next to the garage fire sprayed his own garage with a garden hose in the hopes of containing the flame.

About the Fire Crew

A total of 40 personnel were at the scene, with the first unit arriving at 4:21 a.m. Wednesday. The last unit was cleared at 7:43 a.m., according to the press release.

The following agencies provided mutual and automatic aid to the Batavia Fire Department with this incident:

• Elburn
• Geneva
• North Aurora
• St. Charles
• Sugar Grove
• West Chicago

This story was originally sent out early Wednesday morning on April 11 as a Breaking News Alert. To get these alerts sent straight to your e-mail, click here.