Elderly Couple Dies In Arlington Heights House Fire: Officials

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — An elderly couple died from injuries they sustained in a house fire Thursday at their residence in Arlington Heights. According to fire officials, a 75-year-old man and his 72-year-old wife were taken to Northwest Community Hospital, where they were pronounced dead by emergency room staff shortly after arriving.

The names of the deceased — Lewis and Joan Smith — were released by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office Thursday night.

The cause of the morning fire is still under investigation, but fire officials said preliminary evidence suggests it originated in the home's kitchen.

The Arlington Heights police and fire departments arrived at around 8:16 a.m. to the single-family home in the 1900 block of N Spruce Terrace after a neighbor called 911 to report the adjoining home was on fire, with smoke and flames showing, according to a release.

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Police officers were unable to make entry into the home due to heavy smoke and fire. Firefighters were able to get inside and found the couple.

No other people lived at the home, according to the release, and no personnel from any of the responding agencies were injured.

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Firefighters quickly attacked the flames and brought the structure fire under control by 8:44 a.m., according to the release. Mutual aid was provided by neighboring fire departments, including Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect and Palatine front line companies and command officers.

Additional assistance was provided by Schaumburg and Prospect Heights fire departments as they supported routine calls for service in the community during the working fire.

An investigation into the cause and origin of the fire is being conducted by investigators from the Arlington Heights Fire Department, forensic technicians from the police department, along with the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

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