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Neighbors Blame July 4th for House Fires: 'It Was Obviously Fireworks'

By Ariel Cheung | July 6, 2015 5:45pm

LAKEVIEW — John Cronin was lucky the wind blew west on Sunday — otherwise, his home likely would have gone up in flames along with his neighbors', he said.

Just before 3 p.m., neighbors heard a loud explosion in the alley, but given that Fourth of July celebrations had made for a noisy weekend, Cronin didn't think much of it as his roommate went outside to investigate.

Two coach houses in the 1500 block of West Wellington Avenue caught fire on Sunday afternoon. Neighbors said they heard a loud bang like a firework moments before the fire began. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]

Moments later, his roommate ran back inside, yelling for Cronin to call 911. A coach house facing the alley was rapidly catching fire. 

"It's kind of hazy after that. The windows were popping out, it was so hot. It was very fast, and minutes later, the house next door was in flames as well," Cronin told DNAinfo Chicago.

The Chicago Fire Department said no one was injured in the fires, which sent flames shooting up the 2½-story building at 1524 W. Wellington Ave. before engulfing the next-door building and creating enough heat to melt siding on neighboring homes. At least two nearby garages were also damaged, including Cronin's.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for a couple who lived in one of the destroyed houses, raising $2,520 since Monday. The page says the couple had just left home an hour before the fire began and lost everything inside.

"Can you imagine losing everything in the blink of an eye? Somehow, they need to rebuild their life. From toothbrushes to clothes to kitchen utensils to irreplaceable items such a photos ... nothing survived this explosion," wrote the page's creator, Cara Carriveau.

Siding melted off homes across the alley from 1524 W. Wellington Ave., where a fire began around 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon. [DNAinfo Chicago/Ariel Cheung]

As of Monday, the cause of the fire was unknown, the department said. But neighbors say the loud explosion was a clear sign.

"It was obviously fireworks," said a Nelson Street neighbor who declined to give her name. She said fire inspectors and other neighbors mentioned the fire possibly starting in a garbage can before climbing up a utility pole.

A fire in the 1500 block of West Wellington Avenue burned a utility pole and damaged wires for utility and cable companies, some of which were on scene Monday making repairs. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]

The damaged pole and downed wires cause a mess for utility and cable companies, with outages lasting into Monday afternoon as workers with AT&T and RCN were on hand to repair damage.

Two weeks ago, another fire three blocks east on Sheffield Avenue launched an arson investigation after video footage surfaced of men appearing to set fire to the garbage cans in the alley.

A fire in the 1500 block of West Wellington Avenue burned a utility pole and damaged wires for utility and cable companies, some of which were on scene Monday making repairs. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]

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