A child who was rescued from a Romeoville house fire has been hospitalized in a critical condition.
About 7:10 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to a fire in the first block of Kentland Drive after receiving an initial report of a disturbance that “quickly changed to a structure fire,” according to Romeoville Police Support Services Commander Robert Fetzer.
Four officers who arrived on the scene took turns attempting to make their way upstairs but were unable to reach the room occupied by an 11-year-old male child, Fetzer said.
Officers also obtained a ladder from a neighbor and broke out a window in an attempt to rescue him, he said.
“All attempts to reach the child by officers were hindered by heavy smoke and heat,” Fetzer said.
Firefighters also responded after receiving a report of a child who was trapped in the second floor bedroom, according to a Lockport Township Fire Protection District news release.
When the firefighters arrived at the scene, they saw smoke and Romeoville police officers trying to enter the residence through the front, as well as using a ladder to access the second floor window to locate the child, officials said.
“Due to the intense heat and smoke conditions, the officers valiant efforts were unsuccessful,” officials said.
Firefighters made “an aggressive interior attack” on the fire and began a search of the second floor, where they quickly located the child in one of the bedrooms, officials said.
The child was transported by ambulance to AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center in Bolingbrook in a critical condition, officials said.
Other occupants of the home were able to escape before firefighters arrived, with “the mother being evaluated on the scene, but not transported to the hospital,” officials said.
“The fire was contained to one room, however, it caused extensive smoke damage to the home leaving it uninhabitable,” officials said.
Lockport Deputy Fire Chief Frank Blaskey said the damage from the incident was contained to the one room where the fire originated. He said that was not the room where the child was found.
Blaskey said none of the responders were injured.
Fetzer said he would only be speculating as to why the incident was dispatched as a disturbance but he said it is reasonable to believe what was first perceived as a disturbance was a structure fire call.
"None of the officers’ reports indicate finding anything other than the structure fire," Fetzer said.
A man who answered the door at the Kentland Drive residence declined to comment.
Jim Christopher, a neighbor, said he was watching TV with his wife when he heard sirens. He said he looked out the window of his home and saw an officer had just pulled up and ran into the house with a flashlight.
Christopher said he saw more officers show up and rush into the house as well.
Christopher said he then noticed smoke coming out of the left side of the house but he didn’t see any fire.
He said he then saw fire trucks arrive at the scene and firefighters run into the house.
Christopher said firefighters dragged someone out on a blanket and performed CPR on that person in the middle of the front yard.
“My wife and I were like, ‘Oh my god, this is really sad,’” Christopher said.
Another neighbor, John Maren, said he also saw firefighters perform CPR on someone. He said he saw police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, ComEd and Nicor at the scene.
“It’s a shame,” Maren said of the incident.
Maren and Christopher said they didn’t know the family at the residence but they were quiet and nice.
“We’ve never had any issues,” Christopher said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by Lockport and Romeoville fire departments, along with assistance from Romeoville police.
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