Child, 4, Killed In House Fire In Mundelein: Reports

MUNDELEIN, IL — A 4-year-old child was killed in a house fire in Mundelein Monday morning, officials said.

Firefighters responded to the blaze in the 200 block of Dalton Avenue around 12:30 a.m., according to media reports. Other people inside the home were able to get out safely, but they could not get back in to save the child.

"There were people in the house that tried to make access into the structure but could not due to the amount of fire and smoke," Deputy Chief Jeremy Lockwood said.

By the time firefighters arrived, the home was full engulfed in flames, according to WGN-TV. The child was found in the basement of the home.

Venkat Murali, a neighbor to the home on Dalton Avenue, was watching TV when the fire broke out, the Daily Herald is reporting. He went outside with other neighbors to see what was going on and saw someone go into the home before firefighters arrived.

“They’re great people and it’s really unfortunate,” he said. “Everyone is visibly shaken up around here.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and the home has been deemed uninhabitable.