Central IL crews battle house fire for 5 hours

WATSEKA, Ill. (WCIA) — Four Central Illinois fire departments spent five hours putting out a house fire in Watseka early Wednesday morning.

The Watseka Fire Department was alerted of the fire via I-COMM around 6:24 a.m. Once arriving at the scene near South 5th Street and East Hamilton Avenue, fire crews found heavy smoke coming from the vacant home’s second-floor window.

Crescent City, Milford and Woodland Fire Departments also showed up to help, along with Riverside Ambulance. Firefighters tried to attack the flames from the inside, but could not make it to the fire room due to a hole that had burned through the floor.

Watseka Fire officials said the building was condemned and had no utilities. By the time the flames were extinguished five hours later, the home was a complete loss.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, though it is reported to have started in a second-floor bedroom. No one was hurt in the incident.

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