Woodworking shop total loss in fire near Woodstock

A woodworking shop in Woodstock is a total loss following a fire there Tuesday afternoon, a Woodstock Fire/Rescue District spokesman said.

Fire crews were initially notified that two children who live on the property were unaccounted for, but they were later found in the home, unharmed, according to a release from Public Information Officer Alex Vucha.

Firefighters were called at 11:32 a.m. to the 4100 block of Dean Street outside Woodstock for a structure fire. Upon arrival about six minutes after the call, they found heavy smoke coming from and active fire in a 35-feet-by-40-feet pole barn at the rear of the property.

As the rural area lacks fire hydrants, water tenders began shuttling water to the scene. Firefighters from several agencies deployed hose lines and began fire suppression while simultaneously establishing rural water operations at the roadway, Vucha said.

The coordinated response brought the main body of fire under control within 20 minutes, according to Vucha. Firefighters remained on scene for an additional two hours to extinguish remaining hot spots. No animals were housed in the building and no injuries were reported in the fire, which is not believed to be suspicious in nature, he said.

The barn and its contents are considered a total loss and its cause remains under investigation by the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District.

In a separate fire this week, six horses perished when a barn went up in flames near Harvard.

Assistance with the Woodstock-area fire was provided by the Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District, Huntley Fire Protection District, Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts, McHenry Township Fire Protection District, Union Fire Protection District, Wonder Lake Fire Protection District, and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.