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A July 31 fire at an unoccupied home at 1310 S. Second St. in Morton is now being investigated as a possible arson.
The fire that occurred at about midnight at the house caused $70,000 in damage. The property has been listed for sale since last spring.
The owner of the house, Chad Stark, formerly of Morton, now lives in Florida. Morton Fire Department Chief Joe Kelley said Stark was in Florida at the time of the fire.
The fire was reported by a neighbor who was awakened by her dog late that evening. While taking the pet outside, she noticed smoke coming from a nearby home and called police after passersby determined there was a fire in the nearby house.
Firefighters arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke coming from the two-story home. While inside the house, a portion of the kitchen floor partially collapsed into the basement, Kelley said.
He said conditions inside the home while firefighters worked to extinguish the fire were potentially deadly. Smoke was heavy, making it difficult for firefighters to gauge conditions inside the house when they entered.
“When we enter a building like that, visibility is zero,” Kelley said. “An area of the kitchen floor had collapsed. This was happening while we were in there.
“This was a dangerous situation for our firefighters and could have resulted in one or more of our firefighters being injured or killed.
“A person that intentionally starts a fire — even in an unoccupied structure — still puts the lives of firefighters at risk,” he said.
The fire is currently being investigated by the Morton Fire Department, the Morton Police Department and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Kelley said, due to the ongoing investigation, additional details could not be released.
A July 31 fire at an unoccupied home at 1310 S. Second St. in Morton is now being investigated as a possible arson.
The fire that occurred at about midnight at the house caused $70,000 in damage. The property has been listed for sale since last spring.
The owner of the house, Chad Stark, formerly of Morton, now lives in Florida. Morton Fire Department Chief Joe Kelley said Stark was in Florida at the time of the fire.
The fire was reported by a neighbor who was awakened by her dog late that evening. While taking the pet outside, she noticed smoke coming from a nearby home and called police after passersby determined there was a fire in the nearby house.
Firefighters arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke coming from the two-story home. While inside the house, a portion of the kitchen floor partially collapsed into the basement, Kelley said.
He said conditions inside the home while firefighters worked to extinguish the fire were potentially deadly. Smoke was heavy, making it difficult for firefighters to gauge conditions inside the house when they entered.
“When we enter a building like that, visibility is zero,” Kelley said. “An area of the kitchen floor had collapsed. This was happening while we were in there.
“This was a dangerous situation for our firefighters and could have resulted in one or more of our firefighters being injured or killed.
“A person that intentionally starts a fire — even in an unoccupied structure — still puts the lives of firefighters at risk,” he said.
The fire is currently being investigated by the Morton Fire Department, the Morton Police Department and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Kelley said, due to the ongoing investigation, additional details could not be released.
