Brush fire roars through Lake in the Hills neighborhood

Algonquin-Lake in the Hills firefighters extinguished brush fire that roared through a Lake in the Hills subdivision Wednesday afternoon.

Fire personnel was not yet available to discuss details, but Chris Henkelman, a resident on Grace Drive, said the blaze started on his block within the Stoney Brook subdivision.

"From what I saw, the neighbor on the end of this block, the fire started there and then traveled behind everybody's house," Henkelman said.

Flames got out of control and spread through backyards along Grace Drive, destroying playground equipment, melting rear siding, burning down fences and heating up back walls, Henkelman said.

Police evacuated homes in the area of Willow Street and Grace Drive as a precaution, and shut down the Prairie Path.

Henkelman said he was in the midst of going on holiday with his wife and two young sons in Arkansas when the fire broke out.

Whether the family still takes the trip remains to be seen.

"It's kind of up in the air right now," he said.

Authorities said fire personnel from Elgin, Huntley and Cary assisted.