Fire Damages House in Northern Part of Effingham County

Fire did major damage to a home along 1400th Street, about a half-mile south of the Shelby County line in Effingham County.

The fire occurrred Monday morning, north out of Effingham. A passerby spotted the fire while on their way to work at 6:45am. No one was home at the time of the fire, which began in the garage. Sigel Fire Chief Jake Jansen said about a third of the house was saved, but the garage is gone. Jansen did not have the name of the homeowner.

Fire crews were on scene for close to six hours. Fire crews from Teutopolis, Shumway, Neoga, Wabash Fire Protection District assisted Sigel Fire Protection District at the scene, while Altamont and Dieterich firefighters were called to staff the station in case of another call. Rural Med EMS and the Effingham County Sheriff's Office were also on scene. The Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office was called in to help determine the cause of the fire.