ROCHELLE — There were no injuries after a Monday afternoon garage fire in Rochelle, Rochelle Fire Department Chief Dave Sawlsville said. 

RFD firefighters were called to a home at 1105 McCall Court at 4:58 p.m. Monday for a report of a fully-involved garage fire and quickly raised the alarm level to call in the Ogle-Lee Fire Protection District stations of Hillcrest, Creston, Steward and Flagg Center along with fire resources from DeKalb, Stillman, Lynn-Scott-Rock and Oregon.

“The fire was rolling out of the open garage door when we arrived on scene,” Sawlsville said. “The owners were home at the time and smelled fire and looked out into the garage and the west wall was on fire. They grabbed their dogs and exited the home safely. They weren’t able to locate a cat but we found it safe later on.”

Sawlsville said the first engine arrived on scene hit the fire with “a ton” of water that knocked most of it down, but the fire had compromised the garage ceiling by that time and got into the attic and affected the rest of the home. After all the fire was extinguished, overhaul work started and fire crews cleared the scene at 8:20 p.m.

“The estimated damage is substantial, likely $80,000-100,000,” Sawlsville said. “There was heavy smoke and water damage to the rest of the home.”

The residents of the home were displaced by the fire. Sawlsville said the fire’s origin has been narrowed down to the west wall of the garage, but the cause is still undetermined. It was likely electrical in nature. 

Sawlsville said the homeowners were fortunate to be home when the fire started to notice it and call 911. 

“Those homes are close together and one neighbor was worried about the fire spreading to their home, but that wasn’t an issue,” Sawlsville said. “If the fire went unchecked for 10 more minutes, that could have been a potential problem. The fire got that big and the residents were luckily home at the time to notice it. It shows how fast fire can move.”