Contractor using blowtorch to melt ice starts fire at Geneva home: officials

SHARE Contractor using blowtorch to melt ice starts fire at Geneva home: officials
geneva_fd_e1550612364898.jpg

City of Geneva Facebook photo

No injuries were reported after a contractor using a blowtorch accidentally set fire to a home Tuesday morning in west suburban Geneva.

A construction worker called authorities at 8:53 a.m. to report the fire at the house in the 800 block of Forrest Avenue in Geneva, according to a statement from the Geneva Fire Department.

Crews arrived to find fire and smoke in the rear of the house, authorities said. The fire was put out by 9:31 a.m.

The fire apparently started when a contractor tried using a blowtorch to melt ice on the foundation of the home’s new addition, fire officials said. It caused “minor” damage to the home.

None of the residents were home at the time and no injuries were reported, the fire department said.

The Latest
Fans, some in costume, tailgate in the parking lots of Guaranteed Rate Field hours before the White Sox and Detroit Tigers kick off the 2024 seasons Thursday afternoon. Some weigh in on the proposed South Loop stadium.
Two weeks after the migrant eviction policy went into effect in Chicago, City Council members said not enough information on migrants exiting the shelter system has been provided.
Zoo officials were tipped off something was wrong after Bana stopped eating as much as she regularly did and appeared lethargic.
Mayor Brandon Johnson did not commit to spending a specific amount of public money to lakefront infrastructure improvements, but vowed that whatever public money is invested, it must be committed to creating more housing and jobs and “a sustainable, clean economy.”