Coroner identifies men killed in eastern Illinois house fire

HOMER, Ill. (AP) - Authorities have identified two men who were killed in a house fire in the eastern Illinois village of Homer.

Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup identified the victims as 25-year-old Ricky Tester and 41-year-old Zachary Highfill. He said both men died from injuries sustained in the early-morning Thursday fire.

Two other residents, a husband and wife, were taken to a hospital in Springfield to be treated for burns and smoke inhalation. The (Champaign) News-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1ZGIFYU ) reports that both of them were listed in serious condition Thursday afternoon.

About 30 firefighters from Homer, Ogden-Royal, St. Joseph-Stanton and Sidney battled the blaze amid frigid temperatures.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.com