Fire destroys home along highway

A home located on the north side of Highway 11/71 just west of Pinewood Sports burned down early Monday morning.
The Alberton Volunteer Fire Department, with some help from the Devlin Volunteer Fire Department, responded to the blaze at 2:25 a.m., only to find the fire well underway.
Residents Al and Linda Kaczorek and their daughter, Amy, already had safely left the home.
Alberton Fire Chief Cory Jewell said Monday morning that firefighters managed to get the blaze under control within an hour and fully extinguished by dawn.
“I don’t for sure what the total damage was, but I would imagine it’s a total loss,” he noted.
The home was insured, he added.
The cause of the fire still is under investigation, Jewell said.