Between Wednesday and Sunday, the Aurora Fire Department responded to five structure fires and helped to rescue a woman from the Fox River, officials announced on Sunday.
In total, the Aurora Fire Department responded to 242 calls throughout the Fourth of July holiday period ending last weekend, according to a news release from the Aurora Fire Department. Officials said in the release that, although firefighters were busy, the holiday did not have a direct impact on the number or type of calls received.
“There is never a typical call volume. On any given day of the year, we never know what we will encounter or how many calls will be received. Whether medical, fire, citizen assists, etc. it is always a toss-up what the days may bring,” Aurora Fire Marshal Christopher Temes said in an email on Monday.
On Thursday, the Aurora Fire Department responded to two structure fires in the span of 30 minutes, according to the news release.
Officials said the first fire, which was called in around 10 p.m., was at a single-family house in the 500 block of Grand Avenue on the West Side of the city.
Responding crews found fire on the external siding of the house, which was quickly put out, the release said. According to officials, the house was still habitable since the fire was contained to the siding.
The second fire took place around 20 minutes later in the 800 block of Camden Lane on the far East Side, according to the release. Officials said the main body of the fire, which was on the rear deck of a single-family house, was put out by a resident of the house before fire crews arrived.
Fire crews used a water can to make sure the fire was completely out, the release said. The home was determined to still be habitable, according to officials.
On Friday, at around 1:30 p.m., a call came in about a woman, roughly 50 years old, who was in distress in the Fox River near the center island behind Cool Acres Park at Sullivan Road and Route 25 in Aurora, according to the release.
Officials said the water was swift, but two rescue divers got to the woman, secured her in a life jacket, and swam with her back to shore where an ambulance was waiting.
She was transported to a local hospital for further medical evaluation, the release said.
On the same day at around 7 p.m., multiple callers reported a fire at a two-story, single-family house in the
800 block of Red Clover Drive, officials said in the release. When crews arrived, all residents including the family dog had already evacuated the building, the release said.
Crews found fire in the garage, on the second floor and in the attic, according to the release. Officials said the fire was the heaviest on the second floor of the house.
Most of the damage appeared to be in one corner of the second floor, where the house connects to the garage. On Monday, a tarp could be seen over gaping holes and charred wood in that section of the house.
Damage could also be seen to the garage and the opposite side of the house, where external siding had apparently melted near the roof.
The fire was brought under control within an hour, but the house was uninhabitable, so its residents will be staying with neighbors, the release said. No injuries were reported due to the fire, officials said.
The next day, at around 5 a.m., fire crews responded to another fire, this time at a two-story multi-family building in the 800 block of Camden Lane, the release said. Officials said a jogger noticed the flames, called 911 and alerted the residents of the unit.
Responding crews found heavy fire on a second-floor deck, and the fire also extended into the unit, according to the release. Officials said evacuation of the building was already underway when crews arrived.
After the fire was put out, crews determined that the fire was contained to the initial unit and did not spread to others, so while the initial unit is uninhabitable, the other units in the building are still habitable, the release said.
The five residents who rented the unit have been displaced but are working with the owner of the building as far as lodging, officials said.
On Sunday at around 6 a.m., crews were called to investigate a report of fire on the fourth floor of a hotel in the 2400 block of Sullivan Road, according to the release.
However, the fire was put out by the building’s sprinkler system by the time crews arrived, so they ventilated the room to disperse the smoke and looked over the room to ensure all fire was extinguished before shutting off the floor’s sprinklers, the release said.
Officials said that, as of Sunday, all of the five fires were still under investigation and their causes are still unknown.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com