Fire officials calling recent Plano house fire suspicious

UPDATED 9 P.M. TUESDAY, DEC. 3:

PLANO – Authorities are continuing their investigation into a fire that extensively damaged a Plano home.

Plano police and Little Rock-Fox Fire Protection District personnel responded to a call at 6:41 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, in the 3900 block of Legner Street for an unoccupied single-family home fully engulfed in flames.

Plano police said in a Tuesday, Dec. 3, news release that the cause of the fire still is under investigation. However, fire officials said the fire is looking suspicious.

Little Rock-Fox Fire Chief Greg Witek said the fire protection district brought in additional senior fire investigators from Bristol-Kendall Fire Protection District, since the fire was that large. He said the fire happened in a foreclosed home that has disconnected electricity and gas.

"So that means no normal source of fire," Witek said.

Witek said most, if not all, of the second floor of the home was burnt. He said other damage included fire, smoke and water damage for the rest of the home.

"It's going to be tens of thousands of dollars," Witek said.

Witek said it's unclear when the investigation will be completed.

One firefighter was transported from the scene to Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, according to the news release. Witek said the firefighter was from Little Rock-Fox Fire Protection District and was kept overnight, but has been released.

"It was more precautionary than anything else," Witek said.

Multiple area fire agencies responded to and helped in extinguishing the fire, the release said.

The Plano Police Department was assisted by the Kendall County Sheriff's Office and the Illinois State Fire Marshall, according to the release. Witek said other fire agencies that helped during the incident included Somonauk Community Fire Protection District, Sandwich Fire Protection District, Sugar Grove Fire Protection District and Big Rock Fire Protection District.

Witek said the homes in the neighborhood where the fire took place are larger ones. With that there usually comes secondary fires for homes that are downwind of the initial fire.

This time around, Witek said, there wasn't that type of outcome for the neighboring houses.

Apart from damage including melted siding on nearby houses, "we protected the ones on both sides," Witek said.

Police officials ask anyone with information to call the Plano Police Department at 630-552-3122. Witek said neighbors that have access to smart doorbells with video recording capabilities have been asked to pass along that information to police.

• This story was updated to include additional comment from Little Rock-Fox Fire Chief Greg Witek will be updated as more information becomes available. The update was delayed due to technical issues.