Woman Rescued From Roof Of Her Burning House

LAKE FOREST, IL — Firefighters rescued a woman from the roof of her burning house Friday in southeast Lake Forest. The Lake Forest Fire Department was dispatched around 4:22 a.m. for a report of a structure fire, according to Division Chief Mike Gallo.

Police had already arrived on scene to find the homeowner on the roof at the back of her house. Gallo said arriving firefighters reported moderate levels of smoke around her. A member of the crew from the first fire department engine to arrive grabbed a ladder and rescued the woman from the roof.

Firefighters began hosing down the fire within a few minutes of their arrival, according to Gallo. Crews searched the house and made sure there no one else was home, and the fire was out in less than 20 minutes.

Paramedics evaluated the resident at the scene for smoke inhalation, but no one was taken to hospital. There were no injuries to any firefighters.

The home suffered significant fire and smoke damage. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. As a matter of policy, the Lake Forest Fire Department withholds the location of fires in the city, describing it as private in response to public records requests.

Fire departments from Highland Park, Libertyville, Deerfield and Countryside assisted at the scene. The Lake Bluff, Mundelein and Wheeling fire departments sent equipment to Lake Forest to cover in case other calls came in during the fire.