BROADLANDS, Ill. (WCIA) — A family is safe after the garage of their Broadlands home caught fire Wednesday morning.
The blaze erupted around 1:30 a.m. near the crossroads of McGarigle Drive and Grant Street. Homeowner Joe Gilliland recounted that he attempted to extinguish the fire, but it spread more rapidly than he anticipated.
“I woke up at 1:30 to prepare for work and noticed smoke on the lower floor. I headed downstairs to identify its source. Once I opened the garage door, it was extremely dark and hot inside. I hurried back upstairs to wake my wife, instructed her to go outside and contact 911, put on some clothes, and went outside to try to manage the situation,” said Gilliland. “My wife reminded me about a fire extinguisher in my camper, so I retrieved it and tried to use it, but it was ineffective. She then suggested using the water hose, so I went out back, fetched it, and brought it around. I initially thought I had controlled the flames, but when debris fell from the ceiling, I realized the fire was more extensive than I had thought.”
By the time firefighters arrived, the fire had damaged the garage to the point that the roof collapsed.
“Regarding the garage doors, we had to cut through them to gain entry since we had already disconnected the power,” explained Longview Fire Chief Clayton Bosch. “The garage roof had collapsed, preventing safe access, thus we had to cut the doors open. Other than that, there was nothing particularly unusual.”
Gilliland said the garage is a total loss, but the rest of the home is not. He and his wife are staying with family while they pick up the pieces.
Bosch said that the fire’s origin was inside the garage, but firefighters are unsure of what caused it. The investigation is ongoing.
