A candlelight vigil is set for Wednesday evening as the community mourns a 4-year-old boy who was found dead in a house fire in Mundelein, with officials calling it a “devastating loss.”
An autopsy performed Monday showed that Christopher Alfaro-Rodriguez, 4, of Mundelein, preliminarily died as a result of inhalation of products of combustion, also known as smoke inhalation, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Mundelein Police Department and Mundelein Fire Department responded around 12:20 a.m. Monday to the 200 block of Dalton Avenue in Mundelein for a report of a structure fire.
Mundelein Deputy Fire Chief Jeremy Lockwood said initial reports indicated a house fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters arrived in six minutes and encountered heavy fire and smoke showing from three sides of a single-story, single-family home.
Lockwood said two occupants were already outside and informed firefighters that a boy, later identified as Alfaro-Rodriguez, was still inside.
They provided Alfaro-Rodriguez’s last known location as firefighters deployed a hose line.
Fire crews begin extinguishing the fire from the front of the home to bring the main body of fire under control, Lockwood said.
They also placed a ladder to conduct operations in the area where Alfaro-Rodriguez was believed to be but the boy was not located in the initial search.
The incident was upgraded through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to the box alarm level for additional fire departments to respond. The incident was eventually upgraded to the second alarm level.
A second crew advanced another hose line to begin extinguishing the fire inside the home and conducting a search of the home, Lockwood said.
Firefighters discovered that the main hallway floor had been structurally compromised due to the fire conditions.
Firefighters later located Alfaro-Rodriguez deceased in the basement, Lockwood said. The fire was declared under control around 1:30 a.m.
An adjacent residence sustained minor heat damage but remains habitable.
The child’s mother was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for a “non-fire-related issue,” Lockwood said.
Mundelein Police Chief Jason Seeley said the mother was one of the two occupants outside the home when emergency crews arrived.
The Village of Mundelein said in a statement that they were “deeply saddened” by the tragic house fire that resulted in loss of “such a young life.”
“Our hearts go out to all those affected by this devastating loss and we extend our deepest condolences during this incredibly difficult time. The Village would like to thank all our first responders who worked tirelessly at the scene, their professionalism and dedication is deeply appreciated,” the statement said.
“As a community, we stand together in support of all those impacted and ask that the public to keep them in their thoughts,” the village added.
A candlelight vigil is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday in front of the home where the fire occurred on Dalton Avenue.
Attendees are asked to only bring battery-operated candles and be respectful and stay off the roadway. A donation box for gift cards and money will be at the site.
No firefighters were injured during the incident. A total of 52 firefighters responded.
The Mundelein Fire Department received assistance from the Antioch, Barrington, Countryside, Deerfield-Bannockburn, Fox Lake, Gurnee, Grayslake, Libertyville, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Lincolnshire, Lake Villa, Newport, North Chicago, Nunda Rural, Round Lake, Wauconda and Waukegan fire departments.
Lockwood said it is unknown whether the home had working smoke detectors as the fire was too advanced by the time firefighters arrived.
“Officials remind residents of the critical importance of maintaining functional smoke detectors, as emphasized by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), to provide early warning in the event of a fire,” the fire department said.
A MABAS box alarm was requested for fire investigators to respond from throughout Lake County and McHenry County.
Crime scene tape was set up around the home as fire investigators, many with “arson” insignia on their uniforms, worked at the scene.
A witness reported that numerous police canines from several Lake County police departments, as well as drones, were searching the area.
A private funeral service was held for Alfaro-Rodriguez on Tuesday at Kristan Funeral Home in Mundelein.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Lake and McHenry County Investigators Task Force and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.
Seeley said the police department is working with the fire department and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.
He declined to say whether any criminal aspect was at stake but said his department would get involved if the fire investigators’ findings “indicate it is necessary.”
Banek said that toxicology testing, including carbon monoxide levels, is pending on Alfaro-Rodriguez.