Firefighters respond to a two-story home at 310 N. Melvin St. in Gibson City that caught fire late Friday night, sustaining an estimated $15,000 in damage. An estimated 25 firefighters from Gibson City and Elliott responded to the scene with eight fire trucks. Photo by Christina Lorenzen
GIBSON CITY — An unoccupied two-story home undergoing interior construction in Gibson City caught fire late Friday, sustaining an estimated $15,000 in damage, Gibson City Fire Chief Bruce Kallal said.
Gibson City firefighters were called to a report of a fire at the home at 310 N. Melvin St. around 11:51 p.m. and arrived about 10 minutes later, requesting mutual aid from the Elliott Fire Protection District, Kallal said.
Upon firefighters’ arrival, smoke was seen coming from the home, Kallal said.
“Crews imitated an interior fire attack and ventilation operations,” Kallal said.
The fire was extinguished within about 15 minutes, but firefighters stayed on scene until about 1:15 a.m. to do smoke removal and an investigation.
“The fire, smoke and water caused an estimated $15,000 damage to the interior of the home,” Kallal said.
The fire’s cause remained undetermined, but Kallal said it appears that “wood-finishing activities may have been occurring in the home in the days before.” The state fire marshal’s office was not contacted, he said.
An estimated 25 firefighters responded to the scene with eight fire trucks, Kallal said.