ROCHELLE — No injuries were sustained in a Thursday morning house fire in the 1,000 block of Lincoln Highway, Rochelle Fire Lt. Jeremy Good said. 

Good said the call came in at 9:23 a.m. and firefighters found fire coming out of the back of the house and from both sides of the attic upon arrival. The family was in the home when the fire started, but got out of the house safely. 

The home did have smoke detectors, but they did not alert the family. Good believes the fire started in the wall and worked its way up to the attic. The fire is under investigation, but Good thinks the cause was likely accidental. 

“When we got there the fire was moving onto the next house and burned some siding off of it,” Good said. “We tried to control it from spreading to other structures and succeeded. We deployed two lines, one to each side of the house. We had four guys respond initially. Ogle-Lee departments came later as mutual aid.”

Good said the fire is “probably” a total loss and damage was “substantial.” He estimates $120,000 worth of damage. The occupants of the home are a young family with children and the Red Cross has been contacted for help. Good advised the public to keep an eye out for ways to help the family. 

“It was a fast-moving fire,” Good said. “One of the children said they smelled smoke 30 minutes prior to them calling. Another family member came home and saw smoke and the back of the house was on fire.”