EAST CHICAGO | Two East Chicago firefighters were injured Tuesday while putting out a fire in the 4300 block of Northcote Avenue.
The fire started about 1 p.m. on the south side of a two-story white house, District Chief Rosendo Cuevas said. No one was inside the home during the time of the fire.
The fire destroyed most of the second floor and damaged some of the first floor, Cuevas said. The fire caused some of the ceiling to collapse.
One firefighter suffered a shoulder injury and another had a puncture wound on his elbow, Cuevas said. The two men were taken to St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago. Their names were not released Tuesday.
None of the surrounding houses were damaged.
A water hose snaked from 144th Street to Northcote Avenue as firefighters continued about 2:30 p.m. to put out hot spots around the house. East Chicago police temporarily blocked off surrounding streets.
Cuevas said investigators weren't sure what sparked the fire, but it appeared to have started in a bedroom of the home.
Officials had not made contact with the residents of the house Monday afternoon. According to the Lake County assessor's website, the house is owned by Salvador Fernandez.
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