Berwyn Home Destroyed By Fire: Crews Blame 'Extreme Hoarding'

Fire crews in suburban Berwyn blamed "extreme hoarding" for a blaze that destroyed an abandoned residence early Monday.

The fire department responded to the 2800 block of Wenonah Avenue about 3:15 a.m. Monday, where they found the home's roof on fire, according to Berywn Life. The roof ultimately collapsed. One problem with fighting the blaze, Chief Denis O'Halloran told the Chicago Sun-Times, was the “extreme hoarding situation," which prevented firefighters from entering.

“We had to pull an emergency demolition,” O’Halloran told the paper.

The home was full of belongings from its previous occupants, who moved out about 10 years ago. O'Halloran told Berywn Life that the house had been problematic to the city for years, but they have not been able to track down its previous owners.

The intense fire caused the home's first floor to collapse into the basement.