The sheriff says a driver ran a stop sign and caused a crash that resulted in a car colliding into a house, killing two people who were trapped when the car caught fire, on the border of Harvard and Walworth.
The Harvard Fire Protection, Fontana Fire and Rescue Department, Walworth County Sheriff’s Office and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 11:48 p.m. Friday to the area of Route 14 and State Line Road in unincorporated Harvard for a report of a vehicle crash with entrapment. 911 callers reported two vehicles crashed at the intersection and they had crashed into a building, according to Walworth County Sheriff’s Office Sgt Garth Frami. One of the vehicles was reported to be on fire with people trapped inside the car.
Fire crews arrived and confirmed a car on fire that crashed into a house on the northwest corner of the intersection. The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level and then the second alarm for additional fire department resources. Numerous other fire departments from the area, along with Mercyhealth MD-1, responded to the scene. Frami said the fire had spread to the house and the blaze was extinguished.
The vehicle that caught fire was occupied by a driver and a passenger. The Walworth County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced both of them dead at the scene, Frami said. Their identities are being temporarily withheld. McHenry County officials said that the crash happened on the Walworth County, Wisconsin, side of the intersection, which is why the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation.
