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Family, firefighters escape Riverwoods fire before floor collapse

Firefighters battling a fire at a large Riverwoods home early Tuesday morning escaped the home unscathed before the first floor collapsed.

Lincolnshire-Riverwoods firefighters were on the first floor of the home in the 1000 bock of Hiawatha Drive as the basement fire grew at about 3 a.m., officials said.

“Fire arriving crews felt the floor falling out bellow them,” said Batallion Chief Duane Christensen.

All but one of the firefighters escaped through the front door, and the remaining firefighters left through a first-floor window, Christensen said.

“We were very, very lucky no firefighters were injured,” he said.

The family living in the two-story brick home was asleep when the fire broke out, but woke up to a fire alarm and also escaped unharmed, officials said.

Because fire crews had to take a defensive approach fighting the blaze, it took more than eight hours to bring the fire under control, Christensen said.

More than 15 area fire departments sent crews to the home, officials said.

One firefighter suffered a minor cut to his hand and was treated at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

The fire burned up the entire basement, and several portions of the first floor collapsed, leaving the home uninhabitable. There was also heat, smoke and water damage throughout the rest of the home, Christensen said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Tuesday afternoon.

A damage estimate was not available.

officials said it would be difficult to determine the cause of the fire due to the extent of the damage, and it could be “a while.”

Riverwoods Road was shut down from Deerfield Road to Portwine Road while firefighters battled the blaze.

The displaced family was staying with friends in the area.

COURTESY OF ABC 7A house fire on Hiawatha Lane in Riverwoods on Tuesday
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