Firefighters Monday rescued a Flossmoor family of four from their roof as their home was engulfed in flames.
The family members – the mother, father and two children – did not appear to be injured. They were taken by ambulance to Advocate South Suburban Hospital for observation, said Matt Berk, a captain in the Flossmoor Fire Department.
early Monday. (Provided photo)
Firefighters Monday rescued a Flossmoor family of four from their roof as their home was engulfed in flames.
The family members – the mother, father and two children – did not appear to be injured. They were taken by ambulance to Advocate South Suburban Hospital for observation, said Matt Berk, a captain in the Flossmoor Fire Department.
The fire was reported at 6:25 a.m. in the 700 block of Ash Street, about a block from Flossmoor Hills School, Berk said. One of the children told his parents the house was on fire and they called 911.
Berk said the father broke a second floor window so that family members could go onto a peaked roof, about 12 feet above the ground. A Flossmoor police officer who arrived on the scene first spoke to the family members as they made their way outside.
Fire crews used a ground ladder to help the victims to safety, Berk said. The back of the house was filled with fire and smoke and firefighters set up an attack line to put out the blaze, he said.
The fire was brought under control very quickly due to the efficiency of the fire departments on the scene, Berk said. Flossmoor’s department was assisted by firefighters from Hazel Crest, Homewood, Country Club Hills, Tinley Park and Thornton. South Holland and Glenwood units backfilled at the Flossmoor fire station for any additional calls that may have come in. The family members were transported to the hospital in ambulances from Tinley Park and Thornton.
No firefighters were injured in the incident. The house is now uninhabitable.
Berk said the fire appears to be accidental. The cause is under investigation.
Fire officials were unsure whether the home’s smoke detectors were working properly when the fire broke out. Berk said he hoped the incident would prompt homeowners to check and test their own smoke detectors.
“Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors have proven to save countless lives,” Berk said.