Effingham, IL-(Effingham Radio)- From the Mattoon Firefighters #691 Facebook Page:
On Sunday, January 14th at 1:59pm the Mattoon Fire Department was dispatched to the 500 Block of South 25th Street for a possible explosion and a structure fire. Crews arrived on scene of a single family residence with heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear of the structure at 2pm. The first arriving crews made contact with the occupants of the home and were advised that everyone was out of the structure. They then deployed a hose line to begin extinguishing the fire.
It was quickly determined that the fire had extended to the attic space, and a second hose line was deployed. Due to the frigid temperatures, there were some initial problems with getting the water from the nearby hydrant as one of the ports was frozen. Crews worked diligently to establish a secure water supply. Additional firefighters were called to the scene due to the cold temperatures.
One occupant was transported to the hospital for evaluation of smoke inhalation and was later released. One cat was found inside the structure and was safely removed.
Once the fire was extinguished, fire department investigators then began a cause and origin investigation, assisted by the Office of the State Fire Marshall. This fire investigation is still ongoing, and a cause has not yet been determined. All fire units cleared the scene at 7:47pm.
The Mattoon Fire Department would like to send a special thank you to St. John, Reynolds, and Perry families for providing hot chocolate, snacks, and pizza to the firefighters on scene.
The Mattoon Fire Department was assisted by the Coles Moultrie 911 (Ccom), Mattoon Police, Charleston Fire Department, Office of the State Fire Marshall, and Ameren gas and electric.
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