Fire Guts Attic of Palos Hills Home

A family escaped unharmed Monday morning after the attic in their Palos Hills home caught fire.

The attic of a house in the 10300 block of Stowe Court was completely destroyed, a North Palos Fire Protection District official told Patch Monday afternoon.

An estimated $100,000 worth of damage was done to the house and contents, said North Palos Battalion Chief Rocky Carlson.

Fire crews were called at about 3:15 a.m. and found the attic fully engulfed with flames. Firefighters were able to have it under control within about 30 minutes.

A couple and their two children were home and using their fireplace when the attic ignited, Carlson said. The type of fireplace at the house was similar to those that can be purchased at store and was not made of stone or ceramic. 

The house is uninhabitable, Carlson said. The family is staying with people they know at another house.

Investigators have yet to determine what sparked the fire, which "pretty much burned up the entire attic," Carlson said.

Water used by firefighters also damaged the second and some of the first floor in the house.