DECATUR - Two fires heavily damaged houses early Thursday, one in Decatur and the other west of the city on Bearsdale Road.

Decatur firefighters were called to 1744 N. Oakland Ave. at 12:02 a.m. Thursday, where they found the kitchen of the house engulfed in flames.

A female occupant told firefighters cooking was taking place at the residence when the fire began, and she tried unsuccessfully to extinguish it before going to a neighbor's house to call for help, said Capt. Robert Wetzel, a fire inspector with the Decatur Fire Department.

Five companies and 15 firefighters fought the blaze, clearing the scene at 1:22 a.m., Wetzel said. Damage was estimated at $14,000 to the structure, which was valued at $25,000, he said.

Three adults and a child residing at the house were provided assistance by the Mid-Illinois chapter of the American Red Cross, said Jody Cox, chapter director of public support. The family was given shelter in a motel for three nights, as well as help with food and clothing to replace items lost in the fire, he said.

Comfort kits, which included basic hygiene items and teddy bears, were given to the family to help them through the coming days, she said.

The second fire at 4480 Bearsdale Road was spotted by a Macon County sheriff's deputy patrolling on Illinois 121, who called in the alarm at 1:08 a.m. Thursday, said Fire Chief Keith Hackl of the Warrensburg Fire Protection District.

"By the time we got there, the second story was fully charged," Hackl said. "The deputy had reported fire coming through the second-story windows and the roof."

The owner was not home at the time of the fire, and no one was injured, Hackl said. The state fire marshal is investigating.

Hackl said the fire appeared to have started in the flooring in the southeast corner of the second floor, but the cause remained undetermined late Thursday.

Damage was estimated at $125,000 to the house and $50,000 to its contents, he said.

His department was assisted on the first alarm by firefighters from Latham, Harristown and Hickory Point departments, Hackl said. A second alarm was issued, and personnel from the South Wheatland and Niantic departments responded while Kenney firefighters manned the Warrensburg firehouse, he said.

Cox said the Red Cross provided food and beverages to firefighters at the Bearsdale Road fire.

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