CENTRALIA, IL — The home of Centralia Police Chief Greg Dodson and his family was destroyed by fire Sunday afternoon.

Fortunately no injuries were reported and the family was not home at the time the fire broke out. Firefighters with the Centralia Fire Department says the blaze is believed to have started in the garage and then spread to the attic and the length of the main part of the home. Dodson had reportedly just left the residence about ten minutes before the fire was noticed by a neighbor. No one else was at home.

The Centralia Fire Department called in all available off-duty firefighters and received mutual aid from the Centralia Fire Protection District and Sandoval Fire at the scene while Odin firefighters stood by at the main Centralia station downtown. Both Odin and the Centralia FPD did respond to calls during that time. An investigator for the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office was on scene to assist in determining the cause of the fire..

Several Life Star Ambulance personnel were on scene in case of injury and Centralia ESDA units kept access to the area blocked