Person found dead in Libertyville house after fire
Authorities are investigating the death of a 26-year-old man found inside a house early Friday after a fire there had been extinguished.
The Lake County coroner's office said Daniel Girard died from inhaling smoke and carbon monoxide. Toxicology reports are pending.
Libertyville police said an officer on patrol about 3:22 a.m. saw a two-story bungalow-style house ablaze on the 100 block of Johnson Avenue, near downtown. Firefighters from several departments responded.
Roads in the area, including Milwaukee Avenue, a main thoroughfare, were temporarily closed. After the fire was extinguished, a dead person was found inside the house, authorities said.
Other circumstances, including the location of where Girard's body was found in the house or the suspected cause of the fire, was not immediately released.
Girard appeared to be alone in the house and no other victims or injuries were reported, authorities said.
Cathy Chestler, a neighbor who lives nearby, said her dog started barking about 3:30 a.m.
"He usually doesn't bark, so then I saw flashing lights outside," she said.
"And then we came outside to see the house was on fire," she said.
Chestler described the neighborhood as close knit but said she did not know the people who lived in the house.
The last fatality involving a fire in Libertyville was in September 2016.
Heat from the fire twisted and melted siding on a neighboring house.
The older frame house appeared to be a total loss, but a damage estimate wasn't immediately available, said Libertyville Fire Chief Rich Carani. The fire was under control in about 20 minutes, he said.
Firefighters from Mundelein, Countryside Fire Protection District, Lake Forest, Gurnee, North Chicago and Long Grove assisted.
Libertyville police and fire, along with the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office and Lake County coroner's office, are investigating.
The task force can be called any time there is a suspicious death, said Wauconda police Sgt. Heather Cognac, a spokesperson for the group. She said the task force collaborates with the requesting agency on a case-by-case basis and referred questions to Libertyville police.
• Daily Herald staff writer Brian Hill contributed to this report