PEORIA, IL—A house fire Wednesday on the East Bluff resulted in hospital trips for an occupant and a firefighter, according to authorities.
The blaze began about 4 p.m. at 2406 N. Wisconsin Ave., just south of McClure Avenue and across from the Wisconsin Plaza Shopping Center.
Firefighters arrived to find a large amount of smoke seeping from the 1½-story brick house. They called for reinforcements, according to Nate Rice, a Peoria Fire Department battalion chief.
"We had a lot of fire," he said. "Most of that second floor is burned up. It took multiple hose lines to get it under control and get it put out."
That process took about 10 to 15 minutes, Rice said.
From behind the house, an ambulance carried away someone who had been inside. Rice didn't know the nature or extent of the victim's injuries, nor to which hospital he or she was transported.
The victim was among five people inside the house, which might have been subdivided into residences on each of two stories, according to Rice.
Other occupants fled safely. The victim, who had been on the second floor, was outside when rescuers arrived.
While helping to extinguish the blaze, a firefighter fell inside the house. The firefighter sustained a dislocated shoulder and possible ligament damage, according to Fire Chief Tony Ardis.
As of Wednesday night, no fire cause had been determined, in part because second-story damage was so extensive. Overall, damage was estimated at $30,000.
Smoke could be seen and smelled at Wisconsin Avenue and War Memorial Drive, about one mile north of the house. Traffic was blocked on Wisconsin Avenue between Arcadia and McClure avenues.
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