Abandoned house burns near Mundelein

An abandoned house caught fire early Saturday morning in an unincorporated area near Mundelein, authorities said.

The fire broke out around 5 a.m. at a one-story, single-family house on the 18000 block of Hickory Street. Firefighters discovered the home was abandoned, but a house to its east was occupied, the Countryside Fire Protection District said in a news release.

Crews first started fighting the fire on the east side, near the occupied house, and they were on the scene for about two hours.

The cause of the fire, which remains under investigation, was not known Saturday night. A damage estimate was not available.

Personnel from Barrington, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Lincolnshire Riverwoods, Long Grove, Mundelein, Wauconda, Mundelein police, the Lake County sheriff's office and the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office assisted Countryside with the response.