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Investigators probing cause of Addison fire that killed two

Investigators are continuing to probe the cause of an early morning fire Monday that swept through an Addison house and left two elderly residents dead.

Officials say autopsies have been completed but they will not release the names of the victims or the official cause of death until they are positively identified and their family members are notified.

Authorities said a truck driver was passing the home on the 700 block of South Ellsworth around 2:20 a.m. when he saw the blaze and alerted the Addison Fire Protection District.

Firefighters said they arrived minutes later and found flames shooting from the single-story structure.

Deputy Fire Chief Scott Walker said there were no working smoke detectors.

The fire caused the roof to collapse, initially preventing firefighters from entering parts of the home.

Rescue teams found the victims in a bedroom.

"The fire appeared to start in a kitchen area in the southeast corner," Walker said. "The victims were located in a bedroom on the other end of the home."

Walker said the victims had limited mobility and used walkers.

A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she did not know the couple because they kept to themselves. Occasionally, she said, she saw them riding a golf cart around their property.

Fire investigators from the fire district, police department and State Fire Marshal's Office were at the scene.

"There's nothing suspicious," Walker said. "The state fire marshal runs his dog through any time there is a fatality."

Crews from Lombard, York Center, Villa Park and Elmhurst assisted Addison firefighters.

Cleanup crews finished boarding up windows and placing tarps on the top and rear of the house early Monday afternoon.

  Firefighters arrived at a house fire Monday morning to find flames shooting from the one-story structure. Two people were found dead in one of the home's bedrooms. Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com
  Extensive damage can be seen in the rear of the house after a fatal fire on the 700 block of Ellsworth Avenue in Addison. Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com
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