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

ZION, Ill. -- An overnight house fire killed three people and injured a fourth person in a north Chicago suburb, authorities said Wednesday.

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

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

A neighbor was hospitalized 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 told WLS-TV he looked out of his home's back window after hearing a loud boom late Tuesday.

"All I could see was like it was lit up in the back. I said that must have been a lightning strike or something,” he said.

High winds hampered firefighters' efforts, and it took crews nearly four hours to fully extinguish the blaze. The cause was under investigation.