Park Ridge Fire Blamed on Discarded Cooking Materials

The Park Ridge Fire Department responded to a call on the 600 block of N. Overhill Avenue for a reported garage fire on Thursday, Aug. 25 at 9:15 a.m.

Investigators’ initial report identifies the cause as accidental in nature due to discarded cooking materials igniting adjacent combustibles. The total fire loss is estimated at $10,000, according to a City of Park Ridge news release.

Crews arrived at the scene in under five minutes from the time of the 9-1-1 call and found a single family home with fire from an exterior trash can along the attached garage. The fire was located in an exterior trash container next to the home’s attached garage, but had involved a 10 ft. section of fence and started to extend up the wall and into the garage soffit. Crews began an attack on the exterior of the house and also went inside the garage to stop any extension of fire in the attic space. The exterior soffit and interior garage wall adjacent to the fire were overhauled with no extension noted. The bulk of the fire was knocked down within five minutes from the time of arrival on the scene.

The Park Ridge Fire Department was assisted on scene by the Des Plaines Fire Department.