Two local fires cause $45,000 in damage, no injuries reported

By ALAN CESAR

Two fires caused an estimated $45,000 in damage Wednesday.

At 12:01 p.m., the DeKalb Fire Department was called to 1121 Market St. for a fully involved unattached garage fire. Arriving crews extinguished the fire and no injuries were reported.

The fire was accidental, and it originated on the floor of the garage behind the left garage door, halfway between the door and the rear of the garage, according to a DeKalb Fire Department press release. The fire was under control in 10 minutes.

At 3:04 p.m., the fire department responded to a fire alarm at Kishwaukee Community Hospital, 1 Kish Hospital Drive, for a fire in the microbiology lab.

The fire was knocked down by hospital personnel but not totally extinguished.

The first arriving fire crew was able to use their fire extinguisher and water from a sink in the room to extinguish the remaining fire, according to a DeKalb Fire Department press release.

The lab is separate from the hospital and no other areas of the hospital were affected by the smoke or fire, according to the release.

No one in the hospital had to be moved except the personnel working in the lab.

The fire was caused by open flammable material being placed too close to an open heat source. No injuries were reported, according to the release. The fire was under control in 15 minutes.