ROCKFORD — Firefighters Thursday evening endured single-digit temperatures to battle at least two residential fires in the city, adding to a handful of others over the past couple days.
While the causes remain under investigation, firefighters say residents should take precautions when using home and personal heaters to avoid disaster.
"Think about what's going on," District Fire Chief Charles Barnes said. "Definitely space heaters are a big issue because people normally don't use them. Make sure it's clear around it and it's not an old one. Temporary heating is for temporary (use) only."
The first fire happened just before 5:30 p.m. in the 2000 block of Richmond Street near the intersection of Montrose Avenue. The garage, breezeway and house were "fully involved" in flames when firefighters arrived, Barnes said at the scene.
Heavy white smoke poured from an attic window that firefighters busted out while responding and covered the intersection like a dense fog. The house was deemed a total loss.
"We started putting the fire out from the inside, but there was so much fire it wasn't worth risking the safety of the firefighters," Barnes said. "We worked on it from the outside and eventually had to just let the roof burn off so we could finish up."
Nobody was injured. The residents were not home at the time of the fire. They declined to comment.
Investigators were on scene to determine an exact cause.
A city salt truck arrived on scene to pour salt on the ice that formed from water leaking from the pipes, which is a standard precaution in cold weather, Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten said.
"Once it hits the surface it turns to ice," he said. "We always call (public works) out right away to minimize injuries."
Blanche Stallworth, who lives down the street, came outside to check on her neighbors while the house was still burning.
"I've never seen anything like this," she said.
Firefighters around 7:30 p.m. responded to an apartment fire in the 700 block of North Court Street, but details were not immediately known.
In cold weather, firefighters are regularly rotated to give them a chance to warm up, Bergsten said. While crews are plenty bundled up, firefighter gear is mostly for thermal protection when inside blazing structures.
"Once it gets wet, its cold," Bergsten said. "They're not water repellent."
Adam Poulisse: 815-987-1344; apoulisse@rrstar.com; @adampoulisse
House fire at Montrose and Richmond. Heavy smoke.https://t.co/0udz1sJbnX
— Adam Poulisse (@AdamPoulisse)January 5, 2018