PEORIA, Ill. — Shortly after 12:00 p.m. Thursday, Peoria firefighter/paramedics responded to a house fire in the 1500 block of S. Lydia Ave.
Battalion Chief Rick Morgan said crews could see black smoke before arriving on scene.
“At that time they called for extra companies due to the thick black smoke in the air,” Morgan said.
The fire was beginning to spread a home next door. Crews quickly knocked down the fire upon making entry to the home.
Neighbors heard an explosion coming from the home. Morgan said there were propane tanks in the back yard.
“So, we quickly had to cool those,” Morgan said.
When neighbors saw smoke and flames coming from the home, they knocked on the door to see if anyone was home.
“We did a primary search and we haven’t found anybody in the house,” Morgan said.
Morgan said it appears that the home is a total loss. No injuries to citizens or firefighter/paramedics were reported.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
