Ingleside house fire sparked by smoking materials in leaf pile

An early Saturday morning fire in Ingleside was caused by a burning pile of leaves ignited by smoking materials, authorities said.

The leaf pile was near the corner of a single-family house on the 25100 block of West Mitchell Court. It's possible a still-smoldering cigarette or ashes triggered the fire, which was originally spotted by a neighbor across the street, according to Battalion Chief Larry Van Hoorelbeke of the Fox Lake Fire Protection District.

"Once she looked out her window, she ran over there and saw the corner siding on fire, kind of near the front stoop area," he said. "She was banging on the door and windows telling (the residents) there was a fire. She woke them up."

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 7:24 a.m., and once they arrived, it took them less than 10 minutes to put the fire out. The homeowners safely exited the house on their own. No injuries were reported.

The one-story house sustained an estimated $12,000 in damages, from the burned siding and by water running out of light fixtures inside the house and garage, according to Van Hoorelbeke.