2 men, dog, cat found dead after McHenry County house fire

McHENRY COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- Two men, a dog and a cat were found dead after a fire in the far northwest suburbs early Tuesday morning, fire officials said.

The Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts and Union Fire Protection District responded just after 4 a.m. to the 9600-block of Knolltop Road in unincorporated Union for a reported residential fire, a Marengo fire spokesman said in a news release.

The fire was initially reported by a passerby who saw flames coming from the front of the home, the spokesman said.

Firefighters arrived just before 4:20 a.m., and saw heavy flames coming from the roof of the one-story home.

Fire crews called for more help as the blaze spread quickly, and nearly 15 neighboring agencies responded.

Firefighters found two men, a dog and a cat inside the home. They were all pronounced deceased, officials said.

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Their identities were not immediately released, and the McHenry County Coroner's Office is investigating their cause and manner of death.

The fire was under control within 25 minutes, and crews extinguished hotspots for two more hours.

The home was deemed uninhabitable.

The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts, Union Fire Protection District and the McHenry County Sheriff's Office are investigating the cause of the fire.

Fire investigators were expected to remain on the scene throughout Tuesday morning.

Yellow caution tape surrounded the house later Tuesday, and a huge hole is visible in the middle of the roof.

A neighbor was seen leaving flowers in front of the home Tuesday afternoon.

"It's just such a tragedy, and it's a shock to all of us and to everyone else in our neighborhood," neighbor Sharon Cook said.

Neighbors said a man in his 60s lived in the home, and was under medical care. A relative was staying with the man to help care for him.

"I got up and looked out the window, and there's flames 40-50 feet above the roof over there," neighbor LeRoy Retzlaff said. "It's a shame, the loss of life."