At 1837 on the 4th of July, the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad, along with nearby units from Kensington and Hillandale were alerted for a house fire on the 13200 block of Lutes Drive. The caller reported black smoke coming from the house at that location. Rescue Squad 742, Ambulance 742D, Chief 742, and Chief 742C responded on the initial dispatch. Rescue Squad 742 arrived on the scene just behind the Engine and Tower from station 18. While the Tower forced the door, PE718 stretched a line to the front door. All 3 units made entry into the structure together, immediately meeting low visibility and high heat conditions. RS742 started a search of the structure and ventilated through windows as they went. The primary search was completed with negative results. RS742 crew met back up with company 18 after the search was completed and assisted with opening up the walls and ceilings. Fire had extended from the 1st floor into the attic, and units reported that embers were falling down into the cellar. The fire was controlled quickly, with extensive overhaul needed to put out hot spots in the subfloor and pipe chases. Chief 742 assisted BC704 with command while Chief 742C was the Division 1 supervisor. M742C responded on the RID, and A742E was called to the scene later to transport a firefighter from the scene for heat related illness. Crews operated on the scene for approximately 2 1/2 hours. The cause of the fire was determined to be related to plumbing work done on the house earlier that day.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 9th, 2012 at 9:14 PM and is filed under Incidents. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.