Chief is first on scene to fire at parents' home
TURTLE TOWNSHIP — For Tim Huffman, the smoking and smoldering house across the street was a firefighter's worst nightmare.
He's the town of Turtle fire chief, and his parents' home was burning.
For 47 years, the ranch-style house at 2442 E. Murphy Woods Road was his family's home. He was born and raised there, and his parents, Al and Judy, still lived in the home, which also served as headquarters for the family's construction business.
Huffman went home about 10 a.m. Thursday to get equipment for a job. But after noticing smoke coming through his parents' roof near a chimney, Huffman put on his hat as the town's fire chief.
"I went in and saw some haze and found Mom and Dad, and they didn't know what was going on," Huffman said. "I got them out and called the fire department—my fire department."
Firefighters from the towns of Turtle and Beloit responded in minutes, just as flames and heavy black smoke broke through the roof.
Huffman called for a mutual aid box alarm, which quickly brought a bevy of backup. Firefighters from the city of Beloit; South Beloit, Ill.; Clinton; Rockton, Ill.; Harlem-Roscoe, Ill.; Sharon; Darien; North Park, Ill.; and the city of Delavan fought the fire for 2 1/2 hours before getting it under control.
Firefighters from Milton and Brodhead stood by at the town of Turtle fire station.
Huffman said he would have called for the box alarm whether it was his parents' house or not.
"We had plenty of equipment; I needed the bodies," Huffman said.
"All the firefighters were just awesome," Huffman said. "Being a 1 1/2-story, there were a lot of cavities in the attic, so it was a tricky fire to fight."
No one was injured in the fire, which remains under investigation. Many of the family's valuables were saved.
Structural damage is estimated at $100,000, and Huffman's parents have moved in with him across the street.
"It was probably burning for a while before I got there," Huffman said. "If it would have happened at night, I'm not sure they would have made it out."
Jan 9, 2009 at 9:12 p.m.
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I think he was refering to the fact that his parents were so upset that they were trying to save items in their home, rather than get themselves to saftey. I know when I was real little we had a house fire and all I could think about was going to my bedroom and saving my stuffed animals. Imagine you being in shock at the prospect of losing everything, many people are killed every year due to trying to save belongings. Most items can be replaced, unless it is a family heirloom or photos and such, but still you need to save yourself FIRST. I bet this is what he meant that they wouldn't have gotten out had he not been there during the day.
Jan 9, 2009 at 3:09 p.m.
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all the huffmans' go to my church
and i know that they have smoke alarms in their home.
but if they were sleeping and the smoke got to them first they might not have heard it.
Jan 9, 2009 at 2:10 p.m.
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Huffman said. "If it would have happened at night, I'm not sure they would have made it out.".....as the son of the fire chief, why wouldn't they have working smoke detectors to alert them in the event of a fire. His (Huffman the chief) comment makes no sense.
Jan 9, 2009 at 10:18 a.m.
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Good job, firefighters! I'm glad everyone is safe.
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