What caused a house fire at 322 North East Street Monday is still being determined, said Kewanee Fire Chief Stephen Welgat. Kewanee Fire and Police departments responded to the report of the blaze at 5:42 p.m.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, the back of the structure was engulfed. In all, eight firefighters worked until 7 p.m. to put out the fire, which also spread to an attached deck area.
The fire investigator remained on the scene until around 9 p.m., said the Chief, but the cause of the fire is still unknown, and the investigator intends to search for security cameras in the neighborhood to assist in the investigation.
Most of the damage was confined to the back wall of the structure.
“The damage was pretty significant,” the Chief said, noting that the entire back side of the house will need to be replaced.
Smoke damage occurred throughout the house and part of the deck was also damaged by the flames. Welgat said he is unsure of how many people were in the home when the fire started, but there were no reported injuries.
The occupants of the home were not allowed back inside and had to seek shelter for the night elsewhere.
