The thunderstorms that drenched the Chicago area Tuesday night likely led to a house fire in Mount Prospect and resulted in thousands of lingering power outages, authorities said.
No one was injured in the fire, which was discovered about 6:25 p.m. Tuesday in the attic of a ranch-style house on the 1700 block of East Kensington Road. Unfortunately, the house was left uninhabitable, according to a fire department news release.
The blaze may have ignited when a tree branch fell and hit the electric service line to the house, fire officials said.
ComEd continued trying to resolve power outages throughout the suburbs Wednesday. Mount Prospect and Des Plaines were among the most affected areas, with more than 10,000 customers in the region still without power as of Wednesday afternoon.
The damaging winds came during quick microbursts, according to a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
A tree fell close to a home at Westmere Road and Beau Drive in Des Plaines during Tuesday evening’s storm.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
A 59-mph wind gust was recorded Tuesday night at O’Hare International Airport, and winds may have been even stronger in storm-affected neighborhoods in Des Plaines, Mount Prospect and other towns, the meteorologist said.
One wind gust in Wauconda was estimated to be 80 mph, according to the weather service.
This tree near homes on Maple Avenue in Wauconda came down during Tuesday night’s thunderstorm.
Courtesy of Nancy Arnswald
Des Plaines firefighters responded to about 50 reports of downed power lines overnight, many on the city’s west side, Chief Matt Matzl said. They also helped get people out of four stuck elevators.
“We were running around all night long,” Matzl said.
Fortunately, no one was injured in any of the emergencies, Matzl said.
The roof of a house on Millers Road in Des Plaines was damaged during Tuesday evening’s thunderstorm.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Des Plaines public works crews were removing branches and other debris from roadways Wednesday morning.
Sections of several streets were barricaded or closed Wednesday afternoon, including Howard Avenue between Mount Prospect Road and Clearwater Drive, Oakwood Avenue between Webster Lane and Third Avenue and Webster Lane north of Touhy Avenue.
Traffic lights at three intersections along Thacker Street in Des Plaines remained without power, too.
Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowksi used Facebook to praise his city’s first responders for their efforts to clear streets, route traffic “and most importantly, keep our residents safe.”
For updates in Des Plaines, visit facebook.com/cityofdesplaines or desplainesil.gov.
Mount Prospect public works crews were busy Wednesday, too. To report damage there, call (847) 870-5656.
Classes at two Elk Grove Township Elementary School District 59 schools, Brentwood Elementary in Des Plaines and Robert Frost Elementary in Mount Prospect, were canceled Wednesday because of power outages.
Many homes in and around Riverwoods and Deerfield remained without electricity, too, and there were small pockets of outages across the Northwest Suburbs.
The Barrington Area Library was unable to open as scheduled Wednesday morning because of a power outage. Electrical service was restored midmorning, however, and the facility was expected to be open in the afternoon.
People should stay away from downed power lines and not try to move them, firefighters cautioned.
Lightning strikes the Chicago skyline as severe storms passed through the region Tuesday night.
AP