Orland Family Escapes Weekend House Fire That Started In Garage

ORLAND PARK, IL — A mother and her children escaped a burning house after their garage caught fire Saturday afternoon.

A landscaper noticed the fire at the 14200 Block of Woodward Drive in Orland Park and called 911 at about 2:24 p.m. Saturday. He then alerted the family, a spokesman from the Orland Fire Protection District said, and the mother was able to flee through the front door with her children.

Firefighters at the scene found the garage of the two-story, single-family residence engulfed in flames and the fire quickly spreading to the inside of the home.

The fire gutted the garage and destroyed a car inside, leaving the house uninhabitable. But family members escaped without injuries and will be staying with relatives, a spokesman said.

Fire officials determined that the fire was caused by discarded smoldering materials that were stored in a plastic garbage bag next to the utility room door inside the garage. They said they believe the homeowner wet the debris to smother the embers then threw them away. However, the smoldering embers never were completely extinguished.