Kenosha County house fire; likely caused by batteries, pets missing

Kenosha County house fire likely caused by batteries

A Kenosha County home was destroyed in a fire likely caused by lithium-ion batteries on Thursday, May 22.

TOWN OF BRIGHTON, Wis. - A Kenosha County home was destroyed in a fire on Thursday afternoon, May 22.

"Very significant fire"

What we know:

The fire broke just before 1 p.m. on 18th Street in the Town of Brighton.

According to Kansasville Fire and Rescue Department Chief Ron Molnar, the likely cause of the fire was lithium-ion batteries in a charging unit and had exploded.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Nobody was inside the home and there were no injuries. However, Molnar said multiple pets were unaccounted for, and he believes they are dead.

There were no fire hydrants nearby, so fire crews had to bring in around 100,000 gallons of water. It took multiple crews, even departments from Illinois, several hours to put out hot spots.

At one point, responders had to bring in an excavator to dismantle the home.

Molnar called it a "very significant fire."

"There were reports that flames were already coming through the roof," he said.

Molnar said there were reports of a "dangerous" amount of ammunition in the home, but there was no threat to the area. 

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"Pretty much everyone has ammunition in their homes," he said. "This is God’s country out here."

Fire damage

What we don't know:

There is no damage cost estimate available at this time.

Local perspective:

"I’m emotional. It was an emotional experience to come alongside a family that has endured a trauma like this," neighbor Chris Strash said. "The silver lining is God is in control and that’s just a promise that I rest on because he is in control, and he has a plan and a purpose."