Police: Three die after SUV crashes, catches fire in Gurnee

Three people were killed when an SUV caught fire after crashing into a line of trees early Sunday in Gurnee, authorities said.

According to Gurnee police, officers spotted large flames coming from a tree line shortly after 2 a.m. along Grand Avenue (Route 132) near North Greenleaf Street, just west of Route 41. They then discovered a Jeep SUV on fire and called the Gurnee Fire Department to extinguish the flames, police said.

Officers later learned that three occupants in the vehicle had died. Gurnee police officer Shawn Gaylor said authorities are still working on identifying the victims.

"The vehicle was completely engulfed in flames and the extensive amount of damage to the vehicle and the occupants made it very difficult for us to determine who was in that car," she said.

Police have a partial license plate and the Lake County coroner's office is assisting with identifying the victims.

"It was very hard for us to make any sort of determination of who was in that vehicle," Gaylor said. "So we're trying right now to determine who owns that vehicle and see if that leads us to who may have been inside of it."

Gaylor said appears the three victims were the only occupants of the vehicle when it crashed.