No One Hurt in Early-Friday House Fire on Lathem

A wood-burning stove is the likely source of a structure fire in the early morning hours of Friday, Nov. 15, at 728 Lathem St. in Batavia.

No one was hurt, but the home had to be boarded up, and firefighters estimated the damage to the home and its contents at $25,000, according to a Batavia Fire Department press release.

According to the report, Batavia firefighters were dispatched at around 12:34 a.m. Friday for a structure fire from a wood-burning stove in the basement of a home.

"At arrival, we had a one-story single-family home with light smoke from the front of the structure," the report by Lt. Ralph Strange, the officer in charge. "(The) occupant of the house was awake at time of the fire, smelled smoke, woke family members of the home and all exited unharmed."

Firefighters used three 1 3/4-inch lines to extinguish the fire, one to the basement, one for the first floor, and one for back-up. Horizontal ventilation was used during extinguishment.

Mutual aid companies from Geneva, Elburn, Femilab and North Aurora assisted with rapid intervention, search, utilities, overhaul and division leaders. Thirty-one personnel were on the scene, as well as five fire engines, two ladder trucks, two ambulances and two command vehicles.

The fire was extinguished by 12:55 a.m., and the last unit cleared at 2:49 a.m.


SOURCE: Batavia Fire Department