There were no injuries to residents or firefighters during a Monday night house fire in Chana, but four residents were displaced, and the home was a total loss, Oregon Fire Protection District Chief Michael Knoup said Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Fire crews were called about 8:30 p.m. Monday to 209 Main St. in Chana for the report of an attic fire. Oregon firefighters found flames coming through the roof upon arrival. Knoup said all four residents of the home had evacuated by then, and a search found no other people inside.

“There was active fire in the attic space,” Knoup said. “We penetrated holes in the ceiling and extinguished it. We did have some trouble getting to the fire. There was difficult weather and multiple additions to the home. We were on scene until 1:30 a.m.”

Four residents were displaced from the home following the fire, and the Red Cross was contacted to help them with living accommodations and supplies. Knoup said the home is a total loss due to the fire and is uninhabitable.

Knoup said the suspected cause of the fire is electrical in nature, originating in the attic. The residents had furnace issues, had multiple electric heaters running amid cold temperatures and had problems earlier in the day with the home’s electrical system being overloaded.

“We believe the fire was related to that,” Knoup said. “Two residents there are elderly with multiple health issues and disabilities. I was glad the son that lived with them noticed the fire quickly and got them out. They attempted to put it out with a fire extinguisher and were unsuccessful due to the size of the fire. I’m glad they acted quickly and got out and pointed us in the right direction for the attic access point.”

Along with Oregon Fire, responding departments included Stillman Fire, Mt. Morris Fire, Byron Fire, Ashton Fire, Rochelle Fire, the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office and Advance Ambulance.

Oregon Fire covers 120 square miles in its district, and the call in Chana was 10 minutes away from its station. Full-time staff were at the station when the call came in and were able to respond immediately, along with “a good turnout” of paid on-call staff, Knoup said.

“We were able to initiate an attack on the fire quickly,” Knoup said. “It was 4 degrees outside at time of fire, and we had issues with hoses and pumps freezing up. There are no hydrants in Chana. Tenders were filled at Oregon and taken there, which requires more mutual-aid help.”

Knoup said there was no working smoke detector in the Chana home and stressed the importance of residents having them.

“Oregon Fire has a grant program for residents if they need us to come out and inspect theirs, and we can provide one free of charge,” Knoup said. “There’s no way to overstate their importance.”