TOWN OF LINN — A fire in an unoccupied Geneva lakeside home Tuesday night was contained to a small area after authorities were notified by an alarm monitoring company.
According to a news release, the Lake Geneva Fire Department was notified about 10:20 p.m. Oct. 10 by an alarm monitoring company of a possible fire at N1572 Lakeside Lane in the South Shore Club subdivision.
While on the way, firefighters were told that an officer on scene was reporting smoke and fire in the building.
The call was upgraded to a working fire assignment, bringing additional units from Lake Geneva Station 281 (Engine 281, Med 281, and Cars 281, 282 and 284), along with mutual aid from the Village of Fontana Fire Department, Town of Walworth Fire Department, City of Elkhorn Fire Department and Hebron, Illinois Fire Department.
Upon arrival, firefighters reported a working structure fire in a large lakefront home, and crews began an interior attack.
The fire was located in an attached covered and screened porch and had extended into the floor space between the first and second floors.
The home was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Early alarm notification, a rapid response and efficient suppression limited damage to a single area of the home and prevented a significantly larger loss.
No injuries to occupants or firefighters were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Units cleared the scene at approximately 1 a.m.
“This call is a great example of why we treat every fire alarm as a working fire until proven otherwise,” said Fire Chief Peters. “A functioning fire alarm system provides quicker notification and does not rely upon someone calling in the emergency. Had this fire grown to the point that a passerby called it in, it would have resulted in greater property damage.”
Peters also thanked the department’s mutual aid partners for their assistance on scene, as well as the City of Whitewater and City of Burlington fire departments for providing station coverage and responding to other calls on the Lake Geneva Fire Department’s behalf.