Firefighters respond to back-to-back crash and house fire in Huntley

Huntley firefighters responded to a crash involving a car fire and a house fire within 10 minutes of each other Wednesday afternoon, officials reported.

The Huntley Fire Protection District first responded arrived at the scene south of Haligus and Lakewood roads at shortly after 4:30 p.m. to a “head-on crash involving two vehicles off the roadway” with flames coming from the engine compartment of a white sedan, according to a district news release. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire while the driver of a black SUV was extricated.

Both adult drivers, who were the sole occupants of each vehicle, were transported to Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital with “minor to moderate injuries,” according to the release.

While crews were still at the crash scene, a call at 4:40 p.m. reported a residential structure fire in the 10800 block of Seeman Road near Huntley. Due to several calls, the fire was upgraded to a working structure fire to bring in additional personnel and water. First responders arrived to “smoke showing from a single-story residence,” according to the release.

The fire was located in the garage and “was quickly extinguished,” but the home is deemed uninhabitable until necessary repairs are made, fire officials say.

The car crash in under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. The cause of the house fire is under investigation by the Huntley Fire Protection District.

“We are grateful for the assistance of our neighboring agencies and proud of all our members who worked together to manage multiple complex incidents within minutes of each other,” Fire Chief Dan Wagner said in the release. “When it rains, it pours, and we have a great team ready to handle whatever comes our way.”