Faulty furnace blamed for Midlothian fire

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Updated: February 23, 2012 8:13AM

A faulty furnace caused a Friday morning fire that displaced three people, Midlothian Fire Chief William Sheehy III said.

Firefighters received a call at 4:07 a.m. about a fire at a single-family home in the 14900 block of Terrace Lane, Sheehy said. When firefighters arrived, they found the house filled with smoke.

Three residents, one man and two women, were treated and released at MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island after complaining of smoke inhalation, Sheehy said.

No firefighters were injured, and the fire was under control by 5 a.m., Sheehy said.

The house is uninhabitable until the furnace is replaced and repairs can be made, he said. The American Red Cross was contacted to arrange for a temporary residence for the three people, Sheehy said.

The fire started in an “older” gas furnace in the center of the house, which rests on a slab, he said. Smoke from the fire soon spread throughout the house via the ventilation system, Sheehy said.

“We believe the fire was probably due to the buildup of combustibles in the ventilation system,” he said.

The public works department relocated the residents’ pets, a cat and a couple of dogs, to the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge, Sheehy said.