Woodstock man dies while house catches fire

A man authorities said was working on plumbing repairs at a Crystal Lake home died following a fire there Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

A neighbor in the 1100 block of North Shore Drive was alerted by a passer-by to smoke coming from the one-and-a-half story coach home at 2:41 p.m., authorities said. That neighbor entered the home and found John H. Kelly Jr., 56, of Woodstock. The neighbor removed Kelly from the house.

Emergency crews from the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department and Crystal Lake police said Kelly showed no signs of life when they arrived.

McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski said Wednesday preliminary autopsy findings revealed Kelly died from a blood clot in a coronary artery and not as a result of the fire. Majewski said there was no evidence of any other trauma nor suspicious findings.

The fire, which caused $25,000 in damages and left the home uninhabitable, was under control within 15 minutes, authorities said.

Authorities said Kelly was working inside the home and might have been using a torch to complete repairs. The residents were not home at the time of the fire.

The fire remains under investigation.