Wednesday Afternoon Blaze Leaves 11th Avenue Home Uninhabitable

No one was injured in a garage fire that spread to an 11th Avenue home Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators estimate that the blaze caused $100,000 to the structures and $50,000 in damage to contents.

Officials said a child playing with a butane grill lighter in the garage was the source of the fire.

The St. Charles Fire Department responded to a call that came in at 2:47 p.m. of an attached garage fire in the 400 block of 11th Avenue. When emergency personnel arrived minutes later, they found the garage and rear of the house with a “heavy fire condition,” according to department officials.

Firefighters were able to put out the blaze within 30 minutes. Residents home at that time left without injury, though the house is now inhabitable. The Red Cross is expected to assist the family in the fire's aftermath.