One Home Destroyed, 4 Others Damaged by Fire in Crystal Lake

UPDATED: 9:30 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.

As of 11:45 p.m. all fires had been extinguished in the Carrington Drive area located in unincorporated Crystal Lake.

Jerry Larsen,issued a release stating three firefighters sustained minor injuries while fighting the blazes. They were transported to a local hospital for treatment and since have been released.

The initial fire started at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, and the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department arrived to find a "well-involved" house fire in the 3200 block of Carrington Drive in unincorporated Crystal Lake.

The neighborhood is located north of Crystal Lake Avenue and west of Valley View Drive between Crystal Lake and Cary.

"Crews started a defensive attack on the fire and began protecting exposures," Larsen said in the release.

The Northwest Herald is reporting that Courtney Lefevre, a senior at Prairie Ridge High School, was home when the fire started at the first house, but she was able to flee the structure and was not injured.

No other residents were injured at any of the five homes, Larsen said.

Initial reports indicate embers from the original fire were blown onto the rooftops of nearby homes, igniting those. Four other houses were damaged in the blaze, Larsen said.

As of late last night, fire crews remained on the scene of the two-story house that burned to the ground - where the fire originally started. Firefighters continued to extinguish hot spots, Larsen said in a followup release issued at 11:45 p.m.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Illinois State Fire Marsals Office, McHenry County Sheriff's Office and Crystal Lake Fire Rescue, Larsen said.

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UPDATE: 6 p.m.

One home in the 3200 block of Carrington Drive, Crystal Lake, has burned to the ground, and firefighters continue to battle flames at three nearby homes.

The fire started at one house on Carrington, but high winds blew flames to the rooftops of three other houses in the area, police on the scene said.

The first dispatch sent at about 3:45 p.m. declared a 2nd alarm fire, but minutes later a subsequent dispatch stated the blaze had been upgraded to a five alarm call.

Check back to Patch for more details.

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Wednesday, May 1, 5:11 p.m.

Firefighters are battling multiple fires in the 3200 block of Carrington Drive in unincorporated Crystal Lake, authorities said.

A house on Carrington Drive caught fire and was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on the scene Wednesday afternoon. Winds blew flames from that fire onto the roof of neighborhood homes, according to reports.

Police closed Carrington Drive and Valley View Road to traffic, including local traffic.

There was a lot of smoke coming from the homes and more fire trucks were rushing to the scene Wednesday evening.

Check back to Crystal Lake-Cary Patch for more details.