The coroner said that a 68-year-old man has died after he was rescued from his apartment, which he became trapped inside during a fire in Zion.
The Zion Fire and Rescue Department responded around 6:44 p.m. Friday to the 4200 block of White Pine Lane in Zion for a report of an activated fire alarm in an apartment building.
Bystanders soon after called 911 reporting a fire in the building, according to Zion Fire and Rescue Department Battalion Chief Eric Troy.
Firefighters arrived and found heavy smoke conditions in the common hallway of the building.
The incident was upgraded to bring additional firefighters and equipment to the scene and to cover Zion fire stations for other emergencies.
Firefighters entered an apartment that was well involved in flames, Troy said.
A search of the apartment resulted in firefighters finding an injured victim.
Troy said paramedics immediately provided medical care and the person was rushed to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan in critical condition.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek identified the victim as Christopher Pienta, 68, of Zion.
Pienta died in the emergency room after arriving at the hospital, Banek said.
Hose lines were deployed and a fire hydrant was accessed for continual water supply at the fire scene.
Searches of the entire apartment building were performed and no one else was injured or trapped, Troy said.
The remainder of the fire was extinguished and contained to the apartment where it started.
Troy said damage was estimated at $80,000 and no other residents in the building were displaced besides the apartment where the fire began.
Banek said an autopsy performed Tuesday showed Pienta died from thermal and inhalation injuries as a result of the fire.
Toxicology testing, including carbon monoxide testing, is pending.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Zion Fire and Rescue Department and Newport Township Fire Protection District.