Harrisburg fire under investigation

HARRISBURG -- A fire on North Granger Street in Harrisburg is under investigation, according to Harrisburg Fire Chief John Gunning.

At 11:10 a.m., Harrisburg Fire Department received a call about a fire at 405 N. Granger St. Gunning said his department had a two-minute response time to the scene.

The fire at the residence was limited to a bedroom area and closet in the home, he said. One occupant was in the house sleeping at the time, but was awakened by a smoke detector.

"He tried to put the fire out, but he was unsuccessful. He did get out," Gunning said.

Another individual who lived at the residence was not in the home when the fire was reported.

Gunning said an investigator from the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal is working to determine whether foul play was involved. A K9 unit also is being used.

He also said the origin and the cause of the fire remain undetermined.

Gunning, noting that the occupant was awakened by the smoke detector, reminded area residents who have not replaced batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to do so.

He also said according to the record of fire calls, the department has had about 30 percent more fire calls this year than last year. The number of calls is about 35 percent higher than in 2015, and about 50 percent more than in 2014, he said.

He said it can be difficult to determine an exact reason for the increase in fire calls.

"We have to respond to every fire call and then document it," Gunning said. "That means even if it's a faulty smoke detector or bad carbon monoxide detector going off, if we get a call we have to put that information in the report. That information goes into a database."

He said among the uses for the database is the determination of recalls of faulty consumer products that may cause fires.