PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — One person is dead and two others, including a firefighter, are injured after the Peoria Fire Department responded to an early morning house fire on Thursday.
The man’s death is the city’s first fire-related death since 2021, according to Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger. The chief noted that it appeared he died of smoke inhalation.
Sollberger said the fire started in the bedroom of the one-story house at 3420 N. Gale Ave. Firefighters were called just before 7 a.m. and managed to put out the fire within minutes.
Despite that, the house was deemed a total loss. Investigators were on the scene trying to determine a cause for the fire and the amount of damage.
A firefighter suffered an injury to his elbow, the chief said, when he heard a “twisting or a popping sound.” The other injury was to a neighbor who was breaking out glass at the victim’s home, in an attempt to warn the man inside. He was cut by glass, Sollberger said.
A dog was also found in the structure and was transported to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital for treatment.
In all, five machines and two battalion chiefs responded to the scene.
A fire investigator was called to the scene and determined the cause of the fire to be accidental. The fire caused an estimated $40,000 in damages.
The City Of Peoria Code Enforcement assessed the structure and decided to do an emergency demolition of the building.
