Two people were injured and a family dog was safely rescued after a late-night house fire Monday in Crown Point, officials with the Crown Point Fire Department said.
Lake County 911 received multiple calls around 9:21 p.m. reporting a residential fire with a possible entrapment in the 100 block of North Grant Street. Police officers were the first to arrive and managed to pull one of the two occupants from the back of the home.
Fire crews reached the scene within minutes, immediately provided life-saving care, and transported the rescued resident to Franciscan Health Crown Point. The individual was reported to be in serious but stable condition before being transferred to a Chicago burn center for specialized treatment.
The second occupant suffered less severe injuries and was taken to the hospital in good condition. Firefighters also rescued the family dog, which was not seriously injured.
Crews encountered difficult conditions while fighting the blaze in the older, balloon-frame home, especially due to extremely cold temperatures. Although firefighters quickly knocked down flames on the first and second floors, accessing the attic proved challenging because of multiple additions to the house and stored items. The fire eventually burned through the roof, forcing crews to use a tower ladder to extinguish flames that could not be reached from inside.
Due to the cold weather and the intensity of the operation, officials upgraded the response to a second alarm to bring in additional personnel.
The Crown Point Fire Department thanked several mutual aid agencies for their assistance, including Cedar Lake, Dyer, Four Seasons, Gary, Hobart, Lake Hills, Lowell, Merrillville, Schererville, St. John, Tri-Creek EMS, and Superior EMS.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire.