Electric blanket suspected in Wilmette fire that displaced 5

WILMETTE, Ill. - Five people were displaced in a fire that may have been caused by an electric blanket Sunday in suburban Wilmette.

Firefighters arrived to the blaze about 11 a.m. in the 1000 block of Timber Lane and saw heavy smoke coming from front windows of a home, Wilmette Fire Chief Robert Brill said in a statement.

The five people in the home escaped safely, Brill said. They told police they saw an electric blanket on fire on a sitting room sofa.

Firefighters encountered heavy, dark smoke as they entered the home and extinguished the blaze, which was confined to the room, Brill said.

The residents closed the door to the room before leaving, limiting the spread of the fire, he said.

Officials determined the fire started near the sofa, but the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, Brill said.

No injuries were reported.