Two pigs killed in small barn fire near Lake Villa

Two pigs died Tuesday morning after fire broke out in a small barn along Route 59 in Lake Villa Township, officials said.

No injuries were reported from the blaze, which occurred about 7:30 a.m. on the 39200 block of North Route 59.

A portion of the road was closed for about an hour as firefighters battled the fire.

Firefighters from the Lake Villa Fire Protection District had to trudge through snow to reach the burning structure about 1,000 feet off the road, Battalion Chief Rick Reich said.

"It was a small, 10- by 12-(foot) barn that had some pigs living in it," Reich said. "The homeowner had extinguished quite a bit of the fire before we got there."

Reich said access was difficult and a fire truck couldn't be driven to the site because of the snow. Instead, firefighters went in on foot and used an ATV equipped with water to fight the fire.

"It wasn't an easy thing to get to," Reich said.

Two pigs were housed in the structure, he added. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Lake County sheriff's Lt. Chris Covelli said the animals were potbelly pigs and that a shed had been converted to house them.

Reich said there is a main house and a vacant second home on the property. The pigs' home was near the vacant house.

• Daily Herald staff writer Jake Griffin contributed to this report.