Fire Breaks Out While Aurora Resident Sleeps: FD

AURORA, IL — An Aurora resident escaped through a window after a fire broke out Sunday morning at his two-story house, according to Aurora Fire Department officials.

The man was asleep when the blaze began around 11:40 a.m. at the house in the 1100 block of Garfield Avenue. A total of 22 personnel responded to the incident, and the resident was treated for smoke exposure but declined hospital treatment, according to a news release.

The first crews to arrive at the property found smoke coming from the second floor and extinguished the flames within 10 minutes. No other people were inside the house at the time.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The house was deemed uninhabitable, and the resident made arrangements to stay with family, officials said.

"This incident shows how critical it is to have working smoke detectors in every home," Fire Chief David McCabe said in a statement. "Because of early warning—and the quick actions of our firefighters — a life was saved, and the fire was stopped before it could cause even greater damage."