VIDEO: The Illinois State Fire Marshall is investigating a fatal fire in River Grove that killed three people and injured a fourth.
The smoke and calls for help woke up neighbors around 7:30 Wednesday morning. "We were just getting the kids ready for school, and we smelled the smoke, saw the fire. You could feel the heat coming off the house," said Michael DeFrancesca.
By the time River Grove firefighters arrived on North Grove Street, flames had jumped from the garage to the house and consumed it fast.
"This was going hard and heavy before we even got here," said Chief Sean Flynn, River Grove Fire.
That’s when neighbors saw a man outside the burning home, frantically trying to figure out how to reach his loved ones trapped inside.