Pretty scary stuff...

So I was catching up on the last couple episodes of 24 and I kept hearing sirens outside. At first I thought it was from the show. That new home theater in-a-box can throw sound around pretty well. Anyway... I decided to look outside. There were firetruck, ambulances and police cars as far as the eye could see (from by obstructed bedroom window view anyway)

I headed to the living room to see what my view would be from my bay window. Upon looking out I saw what was a massive emergency response and smoke coming out of a house.

Here's a short article...

Neighbors save man from burning house

OAKWOOD HILLS - Two neighbors rushed into a burning house at 13 Hickory Road near Cary and pulled 58-year-old Timothy Shafer from the blaze Thursday night, Oakwood Hills police said Friday.

The Oakwood Hills Police Department and the Cary Fire Protection District responded to the fire at 8:03 p.m.

Shafer was the only person in the house and was rescued before police officers and firefighters made it to the scene, officials said. Shafer’s two cats died in the fire.

Officials said that Shafer was in critical condition and was flown to Loyola Hospital in Maywood. The house was severely damaged and is uninhabitable, police said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Cary Fire Protection District, the Oakwood Hills Police Department and the Illinois State Fire Marshall’s Office.

The kids wanted to drive over there. An "adventure" Nick called it. So we bundled up, (absolutely freezing outside) hopped in the car and drove to the next block. The road was blocked by police so we turned around and went back to the house. We then decided to walk over. After talking to a neighbor for a minute we walked up the street to see what we could see.

It was a massive response for a house fire. I saw trucks from Cary, Crystal Lake, Wauconda, McHenry, Nunda Township. There was a helicopter circling the scene (Lifeflight?)

It's good to know that if my house is ever on fire, an army of firefighters can get to the scene pretty quickly (especially with the Crystal Lake Road station reopened).