Barrington resident saved from burning home

Two Lake County men will be honored as good Samaritans for their role in rescuing a wheelchair-bound resident from a burning home in Barrington Thursday afternoon.

Richard Duran of Wauconda and Jeffrey Henderson of Lake Zurich were traveling in separate vehicles along Ela Road when they noticed the smoke and flames coming from a home on the 100 block of Ponderosa Court nearby, Barrington Fire Chief Jim Arie said Friday.

By the time firefighters arrived in response to the call they’d received at 2:44 p.m., Duran and Henderson were already moving the resident to safety outside the home.

“Their efforts were appreciated by the fire department and we look forward to recognizing them in the near future,” Arie said.

Neither man could be reached for comment Friday.

The cause of the fire, which heavily damaged the back of the two-story structure, remained under investigation Friday.

The homeowner told crews another family member still was in the home, so firefighters pulled an additional alarm to get more help to the scene. Firefighters from Algonquin, Carpentersville, Cary, Fox River Grove, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Palatine, Palatine Rural, Wauconda and Wheeling assisted.

After 25 minutes, the fire was extinguished and it was determined that the other family member had left before the fire started, Arie said. Despite the frustrating search for another occupant, the homeowner and all responding emergency personnel were uninjured.

Flames and smoke caused between $100,000 and $150,000 worth of damage to the home, leaving it currently uninhabitable, Arie said.

He said he expects Duran and Henderson to receive awards for their selfless deed at an upcoming Barrington village board meeting.