(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Three children and two adults died in a massive overnight fire near Rockford.
The call came in around 2:30 a.m. Monday for a house fire in the 11000 block of Fleming Road in rural Garden Prairie.
"We had fire that was showing on both floors, multiple windows, another smaller building that was on fire, along with three vehicles," Boone County Fire Protection Chief Brian Kunce said.
Kunce tells WBBM Newsradio the early morning snowfall made it difficult for crews to get to the scene.
The five fatalities, he said, were girls aged 9, 13 and 14 and two adults: a 20-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man.
Another six residents were taken to local hospitals for injuries including burns and smoke inhalation.
A Boone County deputy was also taken to the hospital for injuries but was treated and later released.
Fire departments from Boone, Winnebago, Ogle, DeKalb and McHenry counties battled the fire for several hours.
The cause of the fire is now under investigation.
"We're still going to have to interview the victims that are still alive to get an idea on the location of the fire, but we're still investigating the building itself, which is a total loss," added Kunce.
