Contact: Executive Officer Paul Lisowski
plisowski@parkridgefd.org

January 27, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Thursday January 27 at 8:52 AM, the Park Ridge Fire Department (PRFD) was dispatched to the 700 block of North Prospect Avenue for a residential fire alarm activation. PRFD personnel arrived in approximately four minutes and found smoke coming from the rear of the home and immediately upgraded the alarm to a confirmed fire response which brought additional fire companies to the scene. The first arriving crews initiated an interior fire attack and stopped the fire from advancing past the first floor.  An initial rapid search found that there were no victims in the house and the homeowner arrived on scene within minutes to confirm that no one was inside the house at the time of the fire. 

There were no injuries reported to any civilians or fire personnel. Park Ridge was assisted on scene by fire companies from the Des Plaines, Morton Grove, Niles and North Maine Fire Departments. Additionally, the Park Ridge fire stations were staffed by mutual aid crews from the Elk Grove, Schiller Park, and Wheeling Fire Departments and the Rosemont Public Safety Department. They responded to two emergency calls while PRFD crews were working at the house fire. 

Damage to the home is estimated to be $250,000. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. The fact that the home was protected with a hardwired residential fire alarm system allowed for a more rapid response by PRFD and saved the home from more extensive fire damage.