2 men found dead after McHenry County house fire ID'd

McHENRY COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- The two men who died in a house fire in the far northwest suburbs early Tuesday morning have been identified.

The McHenry County Coroner's Office said Wednesday that Eric Dettmer, 73, of Union and Mark Dodge, 71, of Campbell, New York died in the fire at Dettmer's home.

Autopsies are scheduled for Thursday.

The two men, a dog and a cat were found dead after the fire, which broke out just after 4 a.m. Tuesday in the 9600-block of Knolltop Road in unincorporated Union, a Marengo fire spokesman said

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

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

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.

Neighbors had 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."