77-year-old man dead, his wife hospitalized after large house fire in Naperville: family

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- A 77-year-old man is dead and his wife was hospitalized after a large house fire broke out in west suburban Naperville on Tuesday afternoon, family said.

Naperville police responded to the fire in the 3500-block of Redwing Court, not too far from Scullen Middle School, just after 3:15 p.m.

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Chopper 7 was over the scene, where smoke could be seen billowing out of the home.

The fire department said their crews also responded and tried to rescue a man trapped on the second floor. But officials said rescue efforts were hampered by the intensity of the fire, which was burning on both floors and collapsed an interior stairwell.

Officials said the man who was trapped did not survive, and another person was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The owner of the home told ABC7 that his 77-year-old father-in-law was killed in the fire.

The man said his father-in-law had limited mobility and was unable to escape the flames.

He added that his mother-in-law was taken to a hospital out of precaution.

The homeowner said the fire was apparently started by candles that were burning in the house, though the cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Officials said the fire was under control by 4:33 p.m., but the fire department said the home is now uninhabitable.

The estimated damage from the fire is projected to exceed $800,000.

Michael Persun was among residents left stunned in the Tall Grass subdivision of Naperville. He saw and smelled the smoke shortly after 3 p.m.

"It's obviously a tragedy, what happened," Persun said. "And they're just really friendly, and I just feel really bad for what happened, so it's like really sad."