The coroner’s office on Wednesday released the identity of a woman in her 40s who was found dead inside a house that caught on fire near Crystal Lake.
The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded around 3:22 p.m. on March 23 to the 60 block of Della Street in unincorporated Crystal Lake for a report of a structure fire.
Crystal Lake Fire Chief Craig Snyder said a 911 caller reported smoke coming from a single-family residence.
Firefighters arrived to find light smoke coming from the home and prepared to enter the home to extinguish the fire.
Fire crews entered the house and encountered smoky conditions before locating a small fire, Snyder said.
While firefighters were extinguishing the fire, they located a deceased person in the home near where the fire occurred, Snyder said.
Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire and secured the scene for fire investigators and law enforcement.
The Nunda Rural, McHenry, Huntley and Algonquin fire protection districts responded to assist.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department in the investigation. The McHenry County Coroner’s Office was also called to the scene.
The sheriff’s office told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the fire was spotted by a neighbor who then called 911.
McHenry County Chief Deputy Coroner Olivia Zednick said Wednesday that the victim was identified as Christie Velez, 43, who resided at the home where the fire occurred.
The cause of death for Velez remains pending toxicology results, Zednick said.
The fire department has not said what they believe to have caused the fire.