Fire Destroys House in North Oak Park

The air in front of a home that caught fire Wednesday evening in north Oak Park still smells like charred wood. The sidewalk and burnt remnants of the home are covered in ice from firefighter's hoses.

The Oak Park Fire Department was called to the house fire in the 800 block of north Lombard Avenue around 4:20 p.m.

The fire destroyed the home, Ron Kobyleski, battalion chief of the Oak Park Fire Department said. The fire also caused minor damage to the two homes on either side of the building.

"The building was heavily damaged," Kobyleski said. "The roof and the second floor both collapsed. It's not livable."

No one was in the home at the time of the blaze. A neighbor across the street called in the report in after seeing smoke. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters had put the fire out by 9:30 p.m., Kobyleski said. However, department personal were left on the scene until 10 a.m. this morning in case of a flare up.

A Department of Housing employee parked in front of the home around 10:30 a.m. said he was waiting for a crew to come to board it up.