Fire Performers Drop Flaming Object During Rehearsal, Cause Major Fire In Volo Townhouse, Officials Say

VOLO, Ill. (CBS) -- A group of fire performers were practicing a routine in their garage in far northwest suburban Volo when one of them dropped a flaming object and caused a major fire, officials said Wednesday night.

Lake County Sheriff's police Sgt. Chris Covelli told CBS 2 they were called at 7:08 p.m. for a townhouse on fire in the 100 block of Terra Vista Court.

Sheriff's deputies and firefighters found flames coming from the garage area on the ground floor of the townhouse.

Covelli said the residents of the townhouse are fire artists who were practicing their performance in their garage, when one of them dropped a flaming object.

There were accelerants being stored nearby, and the garage went up in flames, Covelli said.

The fire spread quickly, significantly damaging the townhouse and spreading to adjacent townhomes, Covelli said.

A garage, a car, and part of a housing structure were damage or destroyed, according to the Fox Lake Fire Department.

One woman was burned with non-life-threatening injuries, and was taken to Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry, Covelli said.