Early morning fire near Gages Lake destroys house

An early morning fire in Gages Lakes Wednesday destroyed a two-story, single-family house, Grayslake Fire Protection District officials said.

Firefighters were called to the 33000 block of Evergreen Drive at 1:17 a.m. and reported heavy fire visible from the second-story of the house.

Two residents of the home were already safely outside when firefighters arrived. They were uninjured, officials said. No firefighters sustained injuries either.

It took more than an hour and a half to extinguish the blaze, fire officials said. Firefighters were on scene until about 5:30 a.m. to make sure there were no flare-ups.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The house was a total loss, fire officials said. The damage estimate is in excess of $180,000.

The residents of the home were taken in by family members who live nearby, fire officials said.