Fire in Elliotstown Tuesday (UPDATE)

Fire did major damage to a house and destroyed a garage in Elliotstown Tuesday night.

The damage at the home of Howard Gephart, located right in Elliotstown, a small community in the southeast corner of Effingham County. 

Dieterich Fire Chief Ross Martin said they were called out at 7:10pm. Martin called a full still, and eventually the fire call grew to a second box level due to the need for personnel and equipment. Dieterich firefighters were assisted by fire companies from Teutopolis, Effingham, Montrose, Wade Township, Watson, Edgewood, Shumway, Sigel, Tri-County in Beecher City, Stewardson and Oblong, with the Stewardson and Oblong units staffing the Dieterich station in case of another call. Abbott EMS and A-1 Ambulance of Altamont also assisted at the scene. 

(FIREFIGHTERS AT WORK AT ELLIOTSTOWN TUESDAY NIGHT. THANKS TO APRIL BANNICK FOR THE PHOTOS)

Martin said the fire began in the detached garage, then spread to the front part of the upstairs of the home. A representative of the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office was on scene Wednesday morning to assist Martin with an investigation into the cause of the fire. 

No one was injured. Martin said the Gepharts were not at home at the time of the fire. Neighbors contacted the fire department.

The last emergency crews cleared the scene at about 11pm Tuesday.