NEOGA — Firefighters rescued a trapped occupant from the scene of a blaze that destroyed two residences and two garages early Thursday morning just east of Lake Mattoon.
The Neoga Fire Protection District reported that fire and ambulance crews were dispatched at 2:03 a.m. to a fully engulfed garage fire at 33 Prahls Drive in rural Neoga, which was subsequently upgraded to include a residence and second garage. Upon scene arrival, crews observed significant smoke emanating from the eaves of an adjacent residence at 37 Prahls Drive.
During handline deployment, personnel discovered an occupant trapped within the burning structure at 37 Prahls, successfully rescuing and transporting this individual to a local hospital for treatment. The individual has since been released.
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Neoga crews worked with personnel from the Sigel, Wabash and Windsor fire protection districts to extinguish the blaze, but the two houses and two garages were deemed total losses.
Firefighters cleared the scene by approximately 4:30 a.m., but crews were called back at about 5 a.m. to extinguish hotspots that had flared up again.
The Illinois Fire Marshal's Office is investigating this blaze.
Mattoon Fire Department engineers Andy Cole, at left, Dusty Rhoads and Mike Ueleke demonstrate one of the department's two new automated CPR devices on Wednesday at the City Hall fire station.
Rob Stroud
Reporter
