MOLINE, Illinois -- Two women are safe after their home caught on fire in the middle of an icy cold January night.
The fire started around 4 a.m., Thursday, January 31 in the 4300 block of 11th Street. A neighbor first alerted responders to the fire after seeing that the roof of the home was fully engulfed in flames.
When firefighters arrived on scene they rescued two dogs from the home.
The fire hydrants crews needed were frozen shut, according to Moline Fire Inspector Jerry Spiegel. Several firefighters had to break the hydrant open, then lay down extra hose because the hydrant was about 800 - 1,000 feet away from the home.
The two women who live there were staying elsewhere after experiencing electrical issues the night before the fire, according to a Rock Island County Sheriff's deputy. One of the residents told firefighters that they had reached out to their grandfather Wednesday night, saying electricity was going out throughout the home and that there were sparks near the fuse box.
Spiegel told WQAD News 8 that the fire was under investigation. He said that although it was still too early to tell, firefighters did suspect the fire started because of an electrical issue.
The home is in South Moline Township which is an area where fire hydrants are more scarce than they are in other parts of Moline. The home iss located near Target, just south of John Deere Road.
Temperatures were nearing 30 degrees below zero on the morning the flames broke out. A MetroLink Bus was called to the scene to help serve as a warming shelter for the family and for the dozens of first responders who fought the fire.