Elgin couple discovers burglars in Avalon Court home

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Updated: January 22, 2012 5:19PM

Unwelcome visitors: The front door of a home in the 2900 block of Avalon Court in Elgin was reportedly forced open at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday, police said. According to the residents there, they arrived home at about 8:30 p.m. but finished listening to a CD while sitting in the car in their garage. They told police that when they went inside the home, they heard male voices and shouted out. The residents then opened the garage door and a man jumped into a black Mercedes parked outside and drove away. Missing from the home was cash, an engagement ring and a jewelry box containing several items.

Bartlett

House fire blamed on fireplace: A faulty fireplace is blamed for a fire that did an estimated $200,000 damage to a Bartlett home Sunday. According to reports Bartlett firefighters, heavy smoke and flames were coming out of the house at 1043 Knollwood Drive when the first emergency crews arrived at about 1:50 p.m. The blaze was so hot, they reported, that a neighboring house to the east sustained heat damage. Firefighters and paramedics from 11 other departments we called in to help, either at the scene or by filling in at the Bartlett fire stations. An investigator reported the fire apparently had spread into the home’s walls through a hole that had developed over time in the fireplace’s firebox. He said the fire eventually damaged the home’s east side and rear, and smoke spread throughout the rest of the house. Firefighters remained at the site for about three hours. No one was injured.

Elgin

Door kicked in: Residents on the 500 block of Clifton Avenue reported the back door to their home was kicked in sometime between 9 and 10:45 p.m. Sunday while they were sleeping inside the home. One of the residents told police he woke up to a noise and decided to use the bathroom, then realized that several things were missing. Cellphones, a laptop computer, home and car keys, and three purses were missing, among other items. Police were able to photograph evidence left at the scene.