Authorities say a person was found dead inside a car that became engulfed in flames and led to the fire spreading to a house in Fox Lake Tuesday afternoon.
The Fox Lake Fire Protection District and Fox Lake Police Department responded around 1:56 p.m. Tuesday to the 0-100 block of Scenic Lane for a report of a structure fire.
Fox Lake Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Tom Preidis said crews arrived to find a car parked outside the residence on fire in the driveway.
Flames were coming from the car and from the house after the fire spread to the two-story home at the attached garage.
Approximately six nearby fire departments were called to assist and to cover Fox Lake fire stations.
Fox Lake Fire Chief Ed Lescher said multiple hose lines were deployed to extinguish the fire, which had spread from the garage area to the second story.
Firefighters extinguished the fire in under an hour, Lescher said.
Crews found a victim deceased inside the car, Preidis said.
A neighbor was believed to have reported the fire. No residents were in the home at the time and firefighters conducted a search of the residence to verify, Lescher said.
The car was completely destroyed and the house, which sustained significant damage, was deemed uninhabitable, Lescher said.
The Round Lake, Lake Villa, Wauconda, Antioch, McHenry and Spring Grove fire departments assisted at the scene or covered Fox Lake fire stations.
The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Lake County Coroner’s Office and investigators from numerous fire departments were called to the scene.
Preidis said the incident remains under investigation and deferred further details to the Fox Lake Police Department, which has not released information yet.
The coroner’s office said an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday and a positive identification on the body has not been made.