Person injured alerting residents to fire in St. Charles

One person was injured while alerting residents to a fire that spread to multiple structures early Sunday in west suburban St. Charles.

Firefighters responded at 2:23 a.m. to reports of a house fire in the 1000 block of Ronzheimer Avenue, according to a statement from the St. Charles Fire Department. When units arrived at the scene, the fire had engulfed one structure and spread to the neighboring home.

A neighbor returning from work first noticed the fire and called 911, officials said. Her husband, an off-duty Geneva firefighter, then alerted fellow residents.

St. Charles firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 40 minutes with the help of the Geneva, Batavia, Elburn and West Chicago fire departments, officials said. There were no injuries to firefighters, although a civilian suffered minor injuries while alerting fellow residents to the blaze.

The cause of the fire was under investigation and damages were estimated at $100,000, officials said. Three people who were home at the time of the blaze were safely evacuated and will be staying with relatives.