Federal, state and local authorities are investigating after firefighters responding to a house fire in Highland Park early Wednesday morning discovered two men dead outside of the house.
The Highland Park Police Department and Highland Park Fire Department responded around 3:50 a.m. Wednesday to the 1700 block of Park Avenue West in Highland Park for a report of a structure fire.
A neighbor on Sunnyside Avenue called 911 to report flames coming from the roof of the house, according to fire department radio traffic.
Firefighters arrived at 3:55 a.m. and found heavy fire conditions coming from the house, which was located further back from the road, according to a statement from the City of Highland Park.
Crews were performing an evaluation of the home when firefighters discovered two deceased people.
Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton told Lake & McHenry County Scanner that the deceased were adult males.
According to fire department radio traffic, the men were found outside of the house in a yard of the home.
Crews entered the home to search for survivable areas and additional victims.
No additional victims were found, the city said.
The Glencoe, Lincolnshore-Riverwoods, Lake Forest, Deerfield, Northbrook, Northfield and Long Grove fire departments responded to assist the Highland Park Fire Department.
The fire was later extinguished and a crime scene was immediately established.
The property appeared to be for sale because a real estate sign was in front of the home.
Numerous fire and police investigators – including the Lake County Major Crime Task Force and Illinois State Fire Marshal – were joined by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Autopsies for both men are scheduled for Wednesday morning, Newton said.
Park Avenue West between Ridge Road and Sunnyside Avenue remains closed as of Wednesday morning.
The incident remains under investigation and authorities will release more information as it becomes available.