Mundelein firefighters to be honored for lifesaving actions during fire

Three Mundelein firefighter/paramedics will be lauded publicly Monday for rescuing two people during a house fire.

Scott Huber, Damian Iskra and Jonathan Sinclair will receive unit citations during the village board meeting for their actions on Aug. 7. The firefighters "demonstrated exceptional skills, proficiency, and dedication to duty," Fire Chief Bill Lark said.

"Their actions were heroic and most likely saved a life," Lark said.

The fire erupted about 3:30 a.m. at a house on the 21000 block of Route 60 in Fremont Township, near Mundelein. The house is within the Countryside Fire Protection District's coverage area, but firefighters from Mundelein and other departments responded, too.

A resident awakened by smoke alarms discovered flames in the basement, called 911 and then woke up the home's other occupant, Countryside Chief Chuck Smith said. But before they could get outside, extreme heat and smoke blocked their path, essentially trapping them in a second-story room.

The Mundelein firefighters got there first, spotted the people at a window and set up ladders to get them. They grabbed one of the victims and brought him to the ground, but the other person became unconscious and moved away from the window.

One of the Mundelein firefighters entered the room through the window, found the woman and brought her to the window. Firefighters got her down and provided medical care until ambulances arrived.

"I couldn't be more proud of the Mundelein crew," Smith said. "They did a great job."

Both residents were treated at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for smoke inhalation. They've since recovered, Smith said.

The fire was caused by an electrical issue, he said.

Smith reminded people to make sure they have working smoke detectors in their homes and to sleep with bedroom doors closed to protect themselves from heat and smoke in case of a fire. Both were factors in the August blaze, he said.

Monday's board meeting is set for 7 p.m. at village hall, 300 Plaza Circle. Countryside firefighters will be present to honor the trio, Smith said.