House fire in north Chicago suburb leaves 3 people dead and another hospitalized

ZION, Ill. — A house fire in north Chicago killed three people and injured a fourth person, authorities said Wednesday.

Firefighters were dispatched late Tuesday to a two-story home in Zion, a city near the Wisconsin border, after callers reported seeing smoke and flames, the Zion Fire Department said.

When the fire brigade entered the home, they found three people who could not be resuscitated. Fire officials said it is believed everyone who was in the home has been accounted for.

A neighbor was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, the department said.

The deceased were identified as Scott Copen, 58, Gina Copen, 54, and Cristal Copen, 41, the Lake County coroner’s office said.

Neighbor George Gregory said WLS TV he looked out the back window of his home after hearing a loud boom late Tuesday.

“All I could see was like it was backlit. I said it must have been a lightning strike or something,” he said.

High winds hampered firefighters’ efforts and it took crews almost four hours to completely extinguish the fire. The cause was investigated.