Three people were taken to the hospital and a family of eight displaced following a fire in an Aurora home this morning.
Authorities still are investigating what caused the fire in the basement at 1340 Hanover Street, Aurora Fire Battalion Chief Mark Turley said.
Someone inside the home called 911 around 9:25 a.m. When firefighters arrived, everyone had escaped the home and heavy smoke was coming from the basement level, Turley said.
“Within a few minutes, this fire completely grew out of hand,” he added. “It was very, very hot.”
The fire was so hot, Turley pulled his crews out of the home. They then broke a hole in the main floor of the single-story home in order to put the fire out in the basement. The home is now uninhabitable, and the American Red Cross is assisting the three adults and five children who lived there.
Two firefighters are being treated for heat exhaustion, while an 18-year-old man who was in the basement was treated for smoke inhalation. Their injuries are not serious.
Though the cause of this fire is not known, Turley reminded the public to use caution around the holidays to avoid fire dangers. Don’t leave Christmas tree lights on when you’re not home, and check all cords and plug-ins to make sure they are working properly and not overloaded, he said.
