Man killed in house fire near Bensenville

A man in his mid-80s was killed in a Tuesday morning house fire near Bensenville, authorities said.

The man's wife reported the blaze in the basement of the tri-level house on the 4N500 block of Church Road near White Pines Golf Club.

Dispatchers received the first 911 call at 8:23 a.m. Firefighters arrived at 8:30 a.m., met the wife outside the house and began battling the blaze.

Investigators continue to probe the cause of the fire, but it does not appear suspicious, Bensenville Fire Protection District Chief Michael Spain said.

The man likely died from his injuries before firefighters were called, Spain said. The man had been confined to his bed for about 20 years, and fire officials had been to his house numerous times for medical emergencies, Spain said.

"He was bedridden in the room of origin of the fire," Spain said.

The fire was contained to that room, but there was smoke damage throughout the house, he said. The structure was left uninhabitable.

Authorities are withholding the man's identity pending notification of family members.

The man's wife was not injured. There also were no reports of injuries to firefighters.

The DuPage County Sheriff's Office is investigating the blaze, as is standard procedure for any fatal fire in the county.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze just north of a White Pines neighborhood where they have previously been hampered by issues related to aged water mains installed in 1947.

But water "flowed perfectly" through a newer main to help put out Tuesday's blaze, Bensenville Village Manager Evan Summers said.

"We had no water issues," Spain said.