Fire causes $20K in damage to Elgin home

A fire caused about $20,000 worth of damage to a house in northwest suburban Elgin Tuesday afternoon.

Crews were called at 12:10 p.m. to the one-story house in the 400 block of Summit Street, according to a statement from the Elgin Fire Department. Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the basement windows on the side and rear of the house.

The residents were outside the house when crews arrived but said that there might be people in the basement, fire officials said. A search of the basement revealed that no one was inside, and no injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

A passerby who saw the fire before firefighters arrived used a garden hose to control its growth until they got there, according to the statement. The total damage caused to the building and its contents was estimated at about $20,000.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the fire department said.