Home's Occupants Escape as Fire Erupts in Oak Lawn

Firefighters were still on the scene looking for hot spots after extinguishing a fire at a home on the corner of 49th Avenue and 93rd Street in Oak Lawn on Thursday night.

Oak Lawn Fire Department Chief George Sheets said that numerous calls came in for a garage fire around 9:15 p.m.

Southwest Highway and 93rd Street were closed to traffic between 52nd and Cicero avenues. Fire investigators were on the scene trying to determine the cause of the fire that started in an attached garage of the one-story home.

Sheets said the homeowners were asleep when the fire started and woke up when they realized the house was on fire and called 911. By the time firefighters arrived, the family had evacuated the home.

“With this magnitude of a fire in a home with an attached garage, concerns are for the fire spreading inside the house,” Sheets said. “Our guys made a very good stop on the fire. It didn’t extend into the home.”

Sheets said the home sustained smoke and water damage.

Firefighters from Station 3 located adjacent to Oak Lawn Village Hall arrived on the scene within minutes of receiving the first call. The Burbank and Hometown Fire Departments also assisted. Sheets said 11 pieces of equipment were used to strike the fire about 15 minutes after firefighters’ arrival.

“All in all, it went well,” the Oak Lawn fire chief said.

Sheets said the Oak Lawn fire investigator would remain on the scene until the cause could be determined.

Oak Lawn Battalion Chief Peter Lombardi did not know what started the fire, although a large clump of metal could be seen inside the garage. Lombardi believed the metal to be part of the garage door. Lombardi didn’t know if the fire’s intensity melted the garage door.

“We’re going to do some additional overhaul to make sure (the house) is safe to give back to the residents,” Lombardi said. “We’re looking for hidden pockets of fire to make sure everything is extinguished.”

Firefighters ventilated the roof and had the electrical and gas utilities to the home shut off.

“It lets the smoke out and helps us get underneath to see where the fire is,” Lombardi said.

Lombardi did not know if smoke alarms sounded alerting the residents that their house was on fire.

“That’s still being determined,” he said.