Cause not yet determined for Thursday morning fire in basement laundry room on Quincy’s north side

QUINCY — A fire in a basement laundry room was quickly extinguished Thursday morning by Quincy firefighters.

The Quincy Fire Department (QFD) was alerted at 7:16 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, to a basement fire in a house at 821 N. 22nd. The first crew arrived on the scene at 7:19 a.m. and reported light smoke in the house. As firefighters deployed a hose line, a second crew arrived at 7:20 a.m. and connected the first arriving truck to the nearby fire hydrant. The first crew then advanced their hose line into the basement. 

The third and final crews arrived at 7:21 a.m. and set up a smoke ejector, a powerful fan, to clear the smoke and give better visibility to the interior crew. The interior crew discovered a fire in the basement laundry room. It was quickly brought under control and fully extinguished in about 20 minutes. 

Ameren was called to secure utilities. A water pipe in the basement burst, so the water was shut off inside the house. QFD Cause and Origin investigators are on the scene and working to determine a cause. Adams County Ambulance was on the scene, and the QFD volunteer rehab team also responded to assist firefighters’ recovery during their breaks in operations.

The basement laundry room suffered significant damage, including the overhead floor joists. The rest of the house sustained smoke damage throughout. Thirteen firefighters were on the scene from two engines, as well as a quint, the assistant chief, the fire chief and two fire investigators.