Centreville family’s home burns down two days before Christmas

A family’s home was destroyed by fire in Centreville on Friday night, and the cause is under investigation.

Church Road Fire Department Chief Dwayne Carpenter said that no one was home when the single-family house at 4304 Market St. in Centreville caught fire late Friday night. Family members watching the flames nearby were upset, but declined to comment.

Carpenter would not speculate as to the cause of the fire, and said the Illinois State Fire Marshal will be asked to investigate it.

The single-story house sits adjacent to an empty lot on Market Street, and a ladder truck was used to extinguish the fire from above while wintry-mix rain fell on the scene. Multiple fire departments assisted in fighting the fire and keeping it from spreading, but the house was apparently destroyed by the fire.

Carpenter said the American Red Cross had been asked to assist the family’s needs.

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 11:44 PM with the headline "Centreville family’s home burns down two days before Christmas."