A Villa Park woman is in critical condition after firefighters pulled her from a burning home on North Bierman Avenue on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Crews from Villa Park and Lombard located the woman inside the residence at 402 N. Bierman Ave. and carried her out, according to a civic alert posted by the village on Monday, Oct. 5. The department said it believes the resident went into the home in an attempt to retrieve her dog. The dog was found during the search and did not survive.
Paramedics transported the woman to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove. She was later transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where she remained in critical condition as of the village's Oct. 5 alert. No updated condition report has been released.
The Elmhurst Fire Department was among the agencies that responded as mutual aid, along with Lombard, Oak Brook Terrace and York Center fire departments. The Villa Park Police Department also assisted at the scene.
A neighbor had called 911 around 8:15 p.m. after spotting smoke and flames coming from the home. Villa Park Engine 82 arrived to find heavy smoke and fire pouring from a second-floor window. Firefighters deployed multiple hose lines and began searching for the resident while battling the blaze.
The department said both engine companies were fully staffed and in quarters with no competing ambulance calls at the time. That allowed crews to mount a rapid search and keep the fire from spreading to neighboring homes. Fire damage was mostly confined to the second floor.
No firefighter injuries were reported.
Three agencies are investigating the cause: the Villa Park Fire Investigation Unit, the DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force and the Office of the State Fire Marshal's K9 unit. The cause remains under investigation following a preliminary review, the department said.
The village's alert listed Deputy Fire Chief Frank Reposch, deputy chief of administration for the Villa Park Fire Department, as the contact for the incident. The resident's name has not been released. Anyone with information can reach the department at 630-833-5350.
