PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — An intentionally set fire to a vacant South Peoria house Sunday night caused $50,000 in damage but left no one injured.
Members of the Peoria Fire Department responded at about 11 p.m. to 308 S. Webster St. where they found the two-story house fully engulfed in flames and smoke billowing from the windows.
Firefighters quickly searched the vacant house and found no one then began to tackle the blaze so the neighboring house wouldn’t catch fire.
Several crews, resulting in 30 firefighters in all, worked to put out the fire which took an hour to extinguish.
More crews were called to cut the roof open to avoid the possibility of an explosion. Due to the extent of the damage, the home was deemed a total loss, with damages estimated at $50,000.
An investigator determined the fire was intentionally set and it’s being investigated as an arson.
A building inspector with the city ordered an emergency demolition due to the severity of the fire. Crews continued to stand by at the demolition to prevent another fire from breaking out.
