One person was found dead after being trapped inside a house fire in Lake Forest and a second person was hospitalized after jumping from the second floor to safety at midnight on Sunday.
The Lake Forest Fire Department and Lake Forest Police Department responded around 12:02 a.m. Sunday to the 1200 block of Griffith Road for a report of a structure fire.
Firefighters arrived and found a two-story residence with flames visible from a rear first-floor window, according to Lake Forest Deputy Fire Chief Chris Roberts.
Fire crews pulled a hose line into the rear of the residence and quickly extinguished the fire.
Two occupants were inside the home when the fire started, Roberts said.
One occupant escaped by jumping from a second-story window and was located outside the home by first-arriving fire crews.
The occupant was transported to Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital with unknown extent of injuries, but they were stable.
Roberts said a second occupant was found deceased inside the residence as firefighters conducted search and suppression operations.
The fire was declared out in approximately 35 minutes, and the home has been deemed uninhabitable.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level to bring additional fire investigation resources to the scene.
The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal was also requested and arrived on the scene at around 2:45 a.m. to assist the Lake Forest Fire Department with the investigation.
Police and fire investigators were seen photographing the inside and outside of the home.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and took possession of the victim for an autopsy. Their identity has not been released yet.
“The Lake Forest Fire Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased,” the department said.
The Lake Forest Fire Department was assisted at the scene by fire departments from Lake Bluff, North Chicago, Libertyville, Highland Park, Deerfield, Countryside, Lincolnshire, Waukegan, Round Lake, Buffalo Grove, Mundelein and Lake Zurich.
The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation.
“No further information regarding the cause is available at this time,” Roberts said.