Two residents were displaced, and three firefighters were injured while battling an hours-long fire at a downtown DeKalb duplex Saturday, authorities announced Monday.

Authorities said the accidental fire appeared to have erupted when someone attempted to use a heat gun to thaw frozen pipes in the basement.

It took 4.5 hours and 36 firefighters – 24 from DeKalb – to get the fire under control in freezing weather conditions, authorities said. The first DeKalb firefighters arrived about 12:42 p.m. The last ones didn’t leave until Saturday evening.

“It was a long day,” Fire Chief Luke Howieson said Monday. He said one firefighter needed some brief treatment at a local hospital emergency department, but most injuries, nothing major, were treated on scene.

He said the two displaced residents – each unit had one person living in it – are being helped by local emergency aid organizations. The American Red Cross and Family Service Agency of DeKalb County are also helping. Community members who wish to support the cause can email Rylie Loucks-Kues, Director of Community Action, at rlouckskues@fsadekalbcounty.org or visit www.fsadekalbcounty.org.

“Our thoughts are with everyone impacted, and we remain committed to supporting our community during this time,” according to a social media post from the agency.

No residents were injured. But the building was destroyed by the fire, sustaining an estimated $250,000 in damages, according to the DeKalb Fire Department.

“Unfortunately, the building ended up the way it did,” Howieson said. “It was tough with that style of construction.”

The two-story, two-unit home in the 700 block of East Lincoln Highway, adjacent to a BP gas station off Seventh Street, appeared heavily damaged Monday morning.

Windows were boarded up, the roof had collapsed, and debris had fallen around the home. Ice from the water suppression efforts had built up around the home, the cold weather preventing it from melting.

Howieson himself met at the site with a building inspector on Monday afternoon.

The city of DeKalb roped off the entrance to the building and the sidewalk in front. And the right turn lane from East Lincoln Highway onto Eighth Street remains blocked as of Monday afternoon because of ongoing ice accumulation, Howieson said.

Forecasts aren’t promising that the freezing temperatures will let up anytime soon.

Temperatures were about the same Monday morning as they were midday Saturday when the DeKalb Fire Department was called to the blaze: A biting, frigid cold, with subzero windchills. Forecasts show a Tuesday high of 14, with wind chills predicted as cold as 15 degrees below zero. Winds won’t help the cold either.

Howieson said crews had to return briefly late Saturday to put out a hot spot that caught fire again.

Were they worried about the gas station feet away from the flames on Saturday?

“The way the house was situated and how it was burning, no we didn’t really have too much of a concern,” he said. “And gas storage tanks are underground there.”

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Sycamore firefighters walk toward a two-story duplex to help the emergency response on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Seventh Street and East Lincoln Highway in downtown DeKalb. (Kelsey Rettke)

Multi-agency, multi-hour response in frigid cold

More than a dozen emergency agencies came out during the seven-hour response, according to the fire department. DeKalb firefighters responded to the call about 12:42 p.m. from the station right behind the duplex.

The fire started in the basement and quickly spread to the rest of the building, into the walls, and up through the attic.

Plumes of dark smoke billowed into the air for hours on Saturday.

And though residents were safely evacuated, firefighters swiftly learned they also couldn’t remain inside the building, Howieson said. Ladders were set up to try to gain access through upstairs windows so water could be hosed inside.

“There’s no fire stops in older construction like that,” Howieson said. “We did start inside fighting the fire. We had to break open the walls, open up the ceiling to try to vent the fire. We were in there a little while. But it got to a point on the second floor where it was too dangerous to keep our guys in there.”

It was about 1 degree midday Saturday, with windchills nearly 15 degrees below zero. Authorities brought in a Huskie transit bus to act as a warming station for working firefighters. Paramedics and ambulances were on scene. Firefighters were rotated out to keep them warm and safe, Howieson said. Police and county dispatch assisted with traffic control.

And the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System alarm was struck, which sends out a call for coordinated aid to DeKalb. First responders from neighboring towns then took over local 911 call responses to fill shift needs.

“Just because we’re having a fire doesn’t mean the other emergencies stop,” Howieson said. “You’ve got to have those plans in place, and fortunately, we do. It helps us be prepared for days like this. We really appreciate all the help.”

And it’s reciprocated, Howieson said. The DeKalb Fire Department is one of the largest in the area, so DeKalb crews frequently get called to assist neighboring towns. A week ago, DeKalb firefighters assisted Rochelle crews who responded to an early morning house fire that killed one man. The suspected cause for the fire was a supplemental heat source, authorities said.

Emergency personnel from Cortland, Genoa-Kingston, Shabbona, Somonauk, Maple Park, Sycamore, Malta, Richelle, Elburn, Waterman, Sugar Grove, ComEd, Nicor and DeKalb police, along with other city departments, assisted in the response.

The duplex is uninhabitable due to damage, authorities said.

This story was updated to clarify an earlier version after Shaw Local was given inaccurate information that described the tool that authorities said a person used to attempt to thaw frozen pipes. It was later described by fire officials as a “heat gun.”