Rock Falls fire displaces mother and son

emergency lights

ROCK FALLS – A fire Tuesday destroyed a home and killed the family’s dog, the Rock Falls Fire Department said in a news release Wednesday.

The fire at 401 Eighth Avenue, which started in the living room of the story-and-a-half home, was called in around 9:45 p.m.

Firefighters arrived to find flames showing from two first-floor windows, and the mother and son who lived there safely out of the home, Chief Cris Bouwens said.

The dog was found but could not be saved, the release said.

The main body of the fire was under control in 10 minutes but firefighters were on scene almost 4 hours, some of that waiting for the board-up crew, Bouwens said.

The state Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the cause.









Kathleen Schultz

Kathleen A. Schultz

Kathleen Schultz is a Sterling native with 40 years of reporting and editing experience in Arizona, California, Montana and Illinois.