Two Killed in West Suburban Fire

A deadly fire claimed the lives of a man and a woman in unincorporated DuPage County near Bloomingdale Monday afternoon.

Investigators with the DuPage County Fire Task Force worked into the night searching the two-story, wood-frame home for clues, but said they could not determine how or where the fire started.

The 911 call came in at 1:43 P.M. The initial reports indicated people were trapped inside the home and jumping out of windows.

“Upon our arrival we had a fully involved structure fire, fully involved with intense heat,” said Chief David Christensen, with the Bloomingdale Fire Protection District.

Christensen said fire fighters found the body of the man inside the home on the first floor.

The woman had collapsed outside and was unconscious when paramedics arrived. She could not be revived.

Two other adults and two children managed to escape the burning home. They did not suffer any serious injuries.

One of the adults and the children were treated and released from Adventist Glen Oaks Hospital in Glendale Heights.

Neighbors said they thought the people living there were renting, but they did not know much about them. They did recall seeing the boy and girl at the corner bus stop.
They estimated the children to be elementary school age.

Police and fire officials were not sure of the relationships between the survivors and the deceased.

For rescuers, it was a tough scene.

“Never easy, not with loss of life, especially with the holiday season,” said Chief Dan Bilodeau with the DuPage County Sheriff's Department.

Christensen said the presence of the Fire Task Force does not mean arson is suspected, the unit is called out whenever there is a loss of life.