The body of a Gurnee woman was found after a fire at a “hoarder house” Tuesday night, the third fatal fire in recent weeks in a Lake County residence packed full of items.
Authorities have not yet identified the woman, whose body was found in the house in the 1600 block of Dolcetto Lane.
The Gurnee Fire Department said it received numerous 911 calls reporting the fire at about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. Arriving firefighters encountered heavy smoke and an active fire at the rear of the house, authorities said.
Firefighters were hampered by the furniture and other household items blocking both the front and rear entrances to the structure, the department said. With their entry hampered, firefighters resorted to combating the blaze through windows.
During a search, firefighters found the body of the woman.
The Gurnee blaze was the third in recent weeks at residences where the sheer number of items inside posed challenges to firefighters.
A Waukegan woman died March 14 in the 2300 block of Corona, and an elderly Mundelein woman was found dead March 2 following a fire at a duplex piled high with items in the 1200 block of Huntington Drive.
Waukegan Fire Marshal Todd Zupec said after the March 14 blaze that “hoarder houses” pose major challenges to first responders.
“Even in a medical-call scenario it is very difficult to maneuver through these types of houses,” he said. “It is incredibly labor-intensive to operate in these situations and delays care and/or our ability to fight a fire.”
The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office, local police and the Gurnee Fire Department are continuing an investigation into the Dolcetto Lane fire.