Investigators probe fatal West Chicago fire

Firefighters are investigating the cause of a Friday morning house fire that killed a 41-year-old woman in West Chicago.

The fire broke out about 11 a.m. in the living room of her home, West Chicago Fire Chief Robert Hodge said.

The victim was identified by family as Stacey Mittman, who bought the house at age 18 after graduating from Wheaton North High School, said her father Leo Mittman.

“She liked her neighborhood and loved her house, which is now gone. And she’s gone too,” Leo Mittman said. “I loved her and we had a relationship that was very close. We did things together all the time. She was a special person to me.”

The DuPage County coroner’s office on Friday did not officially release the victim’s name.

Hodge said the victim was the only occupant of the house when the fire began. No other injuries were reported.

Leo Mittman said his daughter may have been sleeping at the time of the fire and eventually succumbed to smoke inhalation.

Flames were contained mainly to the living room and its contents, and firefighters extinguished the blaze about 15 minutes after arriving on the scene. Crews from Carol Stream, Geneva, St. Charles, Warrenville, Wheaton and Winfield assisted with West Chicago’s response.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force, Hodge said.