Investigations are underway into what caused two area fires, including one in Danville that claimed a life Thursday. Danville Public Safety Director Larry Thomason says a person died in a fire which struck a residential home for Veterans at 300 Park Street. Thomason says firefighters found the body during a search of the two-story structure.
The name of the victim had not been released yet as of Friday morning.
Danville Firefighters responded to the call at 11:45 a.m. Thursday and found heavy smoke rolling from the residence when they arrived.
Originally it was thought that everyone had been able to safely escape the blaze, but then firefighters found the victim.
The other fire heavily damaged the Louis Dickison home in Alvin.
The 73-year-old Dickison….along with his wife and son….were able to escape without injuries. Bismarck Community Fire Protection District Chief Eric Johnson says flames were rolling out the second floor of the home when firefighters arrived. About 50 volunteer firefighters from several departments were on the scene in Thursday afternoon’s cold weather.
Although much of the fire damage was in the upper floor of the home, Chief Johnson said unfortunately the home would likely be declared a total loss. ‘’We made an excellent stop. We had excellent help, and had the help at the right time – right when we needed it. And luckily we were able to save a lot of the family’s stuff downstairs and keep it upstairs, with minimal damage downstairs,’’ said Chief Johnson.
Bismarck Firefighters received mutual aid from the Blue Grass, Lynch and Rossville Fire Departments. The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting local fire investigators in probing what caused the fires.
