Mattoon Fire Department battled a structure fire late Sunday night and into the early morning hours on Monday.
According to a press release from the Mattoon Fire Department, the Department was called to the scene of a structure fire at 909 Wabash Avenue shortly after 10:00pm on Sunday. Upon their arrival, fire crews discovered a smoke-filled basement, as well as flames in the back door and ceiling of the first floor of the building. Firefighters then entered the structure and began working to extinguish the flames. During overhaul, crews discovered more flames in the walls and ceilings of the residence. Overall, the structure had suffered fire, smoke, and water damage. Crews cleared the scene at 12:23am on Monday.
At the time of the fire, two occupants were present. However, no injuries were reported. Officials are investigating the cause of the fire.
The Mattoon Fire Department is reminding everyone to have a working smoke alarm and to practice their emergency preparedness plan. The Department issued the following tips from the National Fire Protection Agency on how to be prepared in the case of a fire.
- Install smoke alarms in and outside of bedrooms and on every level of the residence, including the basement.
- Remember that larger homes will need extra smoke alarms.
- Test the smoke alarms at least monthly by pressing the test button.
- And Remember that 3 in 5 of fire related fatalities occur in homes that do not have smoke alarms or have non-working alarms.