Man dies in house fire near Glen Ellyn

One man was killed in a fire that heavily damaged a one-story house Monday morning in an unincorporated area near Glen Ellyn, authorities said.

After firefighters extinguished the blaze, they entered the home on the 22W500 block of Tamarack Drive and found the man with no vital signs. He was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m.

The DuPage County coroner's office was working to identify the man through dental records and did not release his name Monday. There was no indication of suspicious circumstances in the death, according to the coroner's office.

Lisle-Woodridge Fire District Chief Keith Krestan would not provide details about the man's death and directed inquiries to the coroner's office.

A cat also perished in the blaze.

Ken Lazzara, a neighbor across the street, said the victim lived alone and largely kept to himself in the Valley View neighborhood east of Park Boulevard.

Lazzara said the victim, who held a garage sale just a few weeks ago, moved into the brick home at least 20 years ago and "took really good of the property."

"Just a quiet guy," said Lazzara, who was not home at the time of the fire. " ... It's a shame."

A 911 caller reported a suspected fire behind their home about 3:58 a.m. Firefighters arrived roughly six minutes later and found heavy fire throughout the victim's house.

Crews sprayed the flames with large-diameter hoses outside before entering the home. Most of the roof collapsed into the center of the house shortly after firefighters arrived.

The structure was deemed uninhabitable. A damage estimate was not immediately available.

By noon, a DuPage County sheriff's officer in a squad car guarded the home, while crews boarded up the windows.

The DuPage Arson Taskforce and the Illinois State Fire Marshal are investigating.