House in Watson Damaged by Fire Tuesday Evening

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Published on August 24 2021 9:05 pm
Last Updated on August 24 2021 9:50 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

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Fire damaged a house in Watson just after 7pm Tuesday.

The incident began with a grease fire in the kitchen of the house, owned by RACK Properties of Effingham. Kesney Estrada and three of her family members lived in the house.

The fire damaged a good portion of the interior of the structure, located at 406 Main Street, but the house is still standing. 

Watson Fire Chief Darren Percival said there was fire coming out of the kitchen windows on the front and side of the structure when firefighters arrived. 

Watson Assistant Fire Chief Travis Buhnerkempe said one person was seen at HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham after he went into the house in an attempt to retrieve two pets. A dog was rescued from the fire, but a cat perished.

Watson firefighters were assisted by fire companies from Shumway, Effingham and Teutopolis. The Effingham County Sheriff's Department and Abbott EMS assisted at the scene, and the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office was called for assistance. 

Firefighters were on scene for over an hour.