Two 16-year-olds were uninjured after the car they were in rolled over into a utility pole and caused a brush fire while they were drag racing another car in Ingleside.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Fox Lake Fire Protection District were called at around 5:00 p.m. on Friday to the area of the Volo Bog, 28478 West Brandenburg Road in Ingleside for a report of a rollover vehicle crash.
Authorities said that two vehicles were racing each other after leaving the Volo Bog at high speeds. A 16-year-old boy from Lake Villa was driving in a Chevrolet south on Brandenburg Road along with a Subaru who was also driven by a 16-year-old boy with a 16-year-old girl who was the passenger, both are Fox Lake residents.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that the driver of the Subaru lost control of his car while going around a sharp curve and struck a utility pole which then caused the car to roll over. The pole snapped and power lines fell to the ground which caused the sparking wires to start a 1-acre brush fire.
Both the boy and the girl in the vehicle got out safely before first responders arrived and were not injured.
Firefighters had to wait to fully extinguish the brush fire due to the downed power lines causing a hazard. ComEd was called to the scene and the power was cut. Firefighters were then able to fully extinguish the fire.
The driver of the Subaru was cited for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident and for drag racing. The other driver in the Chevrolet was also cited for drag racing, a Class A misdemeanor.