Family loses FRG home to fire

FOX RIVER GROVE – Michael and Audra Smith fled their Fox River Grove home after a neighbor called and told them the garage was on fire.

The couple was able to get out before the fire spread throughout the two-story home. Firefighters responded to the fire at 601 Thackeray Lane about 2:45 p.m. Thursday. Crews were able to get the fire under control in 30 minutes before it spread to neighboring homes.

Fire, smoke and water caused extensive damage to the Smiths' home. Several portions of the roof had caved in, and almost all of the interior walls visible from the street appeared charred. The home is uninhabitable and likely will be a total loss, Michael Smith said while watching firefighters put out the blaze.

The Smiths had lived in the home with their two sons, Payton and Colin, for about 10 years. Payton was at a summer camp, and Colin was out riding his bike when the fire started. Michael Smith said the family lost almost everything inside the home, but he remained optimistic.

"We are just going to rely on friends and family to get through this," he said. "We are going to rebuild."  

Several dozen neighbors and friends gathered at the corner of Thackeray Lane and Essex Road to watch crews from Fox River Grove, Cary, Nunda Township, Lake Zurich, McHenry, and Barrington fire departments put out the flames.

Laurie Lindberg, a family friend, said neighborhood residents would get together to help out the Smith family and encouraged those interested in helping to call her at 224-489-6001. Plans for helping the family still were being worked out, but Lindberg said she wanted to get the ball rolling.

"We're a close-knit community," she said. "We just want to do what we can."

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it appears to have been accidental, Fox River Grove Fire Department Chief Robert Kreher said.

"This is certainly a tragic event for the family," he said.