CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Two young girls died and four other people were injured Thursday night in a fire in the Chain-o-Lakes area in Lake County.
Firefighters responded to a call of a house fire at about 10:45 p.m. in the 3500 block of North Hunt Avenue. When they arrived the two-story home was fully engulfed in flames, Fox Lake Fire Protection District Chief Ed Lescher said.
Upon arrival, firefighters found three of the victims - two men and a woman - in the front yard of the house. They informed firefighters that a woman and two children were still inside the house, Lescher said.
The woman was pulled out of the house from the back door, Lescher said.
But the flames became too heavy and firefighters had to back out until the fire was more under control.
"We were finally able to locate two girls on the second floor, one was inside of a bedroom, one was in the hallway just outside of the bedroom," Lescher said.
Chief Lescher said the girls who died were 5- and 8-years old.
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Two women and a man were taken to Condell Memorial Hospital, while the second man was taken to McHenry Hospital and later flown to Loyola University Medical Center.
All four adults suffered from burns and smoke inhalation.
Deputy Chief Lescher said the cause of the fire is under investigation. He did not know if there were any working smoke detectors.