3 people displaced after Rantoul house fire Friday morning

RANTOUL, Ill. (WCIA) — Rantoul firefighters responded to a house fire in the early Friday morning hours that left three displaced and one pet dead.

The fire happened around 2:45 a.m. at a two-story house at 140 Oak Place. The conditions were also posing a threat to the neighboring houses.

Due to the extensive fire conditions, crews used several hose lines and aerial water streams to put out the fire. Residents were able to evacuate with no injuries before the fire department arrived. One pet died during the fire.

A total of 4 engine companies, 1 rescue company, 1 ladder company, 1 tower ladder company, and 6 chief officers responded, AMT responded with an ALS unit.

No damage estimates are available at this time. Sangamon Valey Fire Protection District staged at RFD Main Station fire station to cover any additional calls for service during that time.

“The fire was contained to the first floor. The basement has water damage, but the fire did not extend to the basement, nor to the garage,” commented Rantoul Fire Chief Chad Smith.

The back of the house had seen a significant amount of fire damage.

WCIA spoke with a neighbor who said he heard loud knocking this morning:

“She (referring to police) said you need to leave your house because your neighbor’s house is on fire. At this point in time, you know, you’re kind of in shock when something like this happened. You just don’t expect something like that to happen. So, yeah, they’re good neighbors and this is unfortunate that they’ve been doing a lot of work to the house and it looks to be almost a total loss,” said Rantoul resident Alan Taylor.

There were no firefighter injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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