One confirmed dead in fire in Round Lake Friday
One person is confirmed dead in a fire that swept through a building in downtown Round Lake Friday, officials said Saturday.
Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said the unidentified person was found in the rubble on the second floor of the building that was heavily damaged by flames in the 200 block of North Cedar Lake Road.
Pat Walker, a battalion chief with the Greater Round Lake Area Fire Protection District, said Saturday that the fire was put out at about 8:30 p.m. Friday night, but the building was deemed unsafe to enter until Saturday morning.
He said firefighters discovered the body at about 10 a.m.
Cooper said the victim would be autopsied Monday.
Officials said the three-alarm fire took place at Campos Income Tax on Cedar Lake Road. Firefighters from multiple departments were on the scene starting before 5 p.m., and bystanders watched flames bursting out the top of the building.
Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District Chief Greg Formica said Friday evening that firefighters found smoke pouring from the building when they arrived. He said they initially attacked the fire from the inside.
Cedar Lake Road remains blocked to through traffic in front of the damaged building.
Walker said the cause of the blaze is still unknown. It remains under investigation.