Thunderstorms that drenched the Chicago area Tuesday night likely sparked a house fire in Mount Prospect and caused lengthy power outages for thousands, authorities said.

No one was injured in the fire, which was discovered around 6:25 p.m. Tuesday in the attic of a ranch-style home in the 1700 block of East Kensington Road. The home was unfortunately uninhabitable, according to a fire department news release.

The fire may have started when a falling branch hit the power line to the house, fire officials said.

ComEd continued to attempt to resolve power outages in the suburbs on Wednesday. Mount Prospect and Des Plaines were among the hardest hit areas. More than 10,000 customers in the region were still without power as of Wednesday afternoon.

According to a National Weather Service meteorologist, the destructive winds occurred during short microbursts.

A wind gust of 60 mph was measured at O’Hare International Airport on Tuesday evening, and winds may have been even stronger in storm-hit neighborhoods in Des Plaines, Mount Prospect and other cities, the meteorologist said.

According to the weather service, a wind gust in Wauconda was estimated at 80 miles per hour.

This tree near the homes on Maple Avenue in Wauconda fell during a thunderstorm Tuesday evening.
Courtesy of Nancy Arnswald

Des Plaines firefighters responded to about 50 reports of downed power lines overnight, many on the city’s west side, Fire Chief Matt Matzl said. They also helped rescue people from four stuck elevators.

“We ran around all night,” said Matzl.

Fortunately, no one was injured during the operations, said Matzl.

On Wednesday morning, Des Plaines street crews were busy removing tree limbs and other debris from the streets.

Portions of several streets were blocked off or closed Wednesday afternoon, including Howard Avenue between Mount Prospect Road and Clearwater Drive, Oakwood Avenue between Webster Lane and Third Avenue, and Webster Lane north of Touhy Avenue.

Traffic lights at three intersections along Thacker Street in Des Plaines also remained without power.

Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowksi praised his city’s emergency crews on Facebook for their efforts to clear streets, divert traffic “and, most importantly, keep our residents safe.”

For current information about Des Plaines, visit facebook.com/cityofdesplaines or desplainesil.gov.

Mount Prospect construction crews were also busy Wednesday. To report damage there, call (847) 870-5656.

Classes at two schools in Elk Grove Township Elementary School District 59, Brentwood Elementary in Des Plaines and Robert Frost Elementary in Mount Prospect, were canceled Wednesday due to power outages.

Many homes in and around Riverwoods and Deerfield also continued to have no power, and there were isolated power outages in the northwest suburbs.

Due to a power outage, the Barrington Area Library was unable to open as scheduled Wednesday morning. However, power was restored by mid-morning and the facility was scheduled to reopen in the afternoon.

Firefighters warned that people should stay away from downed power lines and not try to move them.

Lightning strikes the Chicago skyline as severe storms swept through the region on Tuesday evening.
AP