St. Charles Woman Left Homeless After Thanksgiving Day Fire

When Diane Hollingsworth woke up to a bedroom full of smoke on Thanksgiving morning, she and her dog had just enough time to escape the fire before her home was engulfed in flames.

The entire back of Hollingsworth’s home, located at 38 Red Cedar Court, was on fire with flames shooting through the roof when St. Charles firefighters arrived Thursday morning just after 7:00 am.

After confirming that everyone was out of the home, firefighters went inside and attacked the fire from the interior.

Firefighters managed to get the fire under control within about a half hour, but Hollingsworth’s home sustained heavy smoke and fire damage. While no firefighters were injured fighting the blaze, damages to the home were estimated at more than $150,000, according to a press release from the St. Charles Fire Department.

“The loss is made even more painful to Diane who kept two rooms full of treasures from her daughter who passed away recently after a long battle with several illnesses,” wrote the department’s Dan Casey in the press release. “Firefighters were as careful as possible to limit the damage to these areas in order to save as many memories as possible.”

The cause of the Thanksgiving Day fire is still under investigation, but officials believe it started near a bedroom table.