2 residential fires in Lake County blamed on fireworks, one home a total loss

Fireworks were cited as the likely cause of fires that destroyed a home and caused major damage to a townhouse in Lake County.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded to a residential fire about midnight Friday in in the 37700 block of Charlotte Drive in Wadsworth, where firefighters fought the blaze for several hours and the home was a total loss. Occupants had been igniting explosive fireworks near the home earlier in the evening, police said.

About 1:45 a.m. Friday, the sheriff’s office responded with numerous local fire agencies to another structure fire in the 300 block of Goshawk Lane near Deerfield, where they found a townhouse with its roof on fire, police reported. The townhouse sustained “major damage,” and, again, authorities said there had been fireworks ignited near the structure earlier in the evening.

Occupants of the Wadsworth home, along with their pets, were able to escape before the flames engulfed the structure, police said. Multiple residents of the Deerfield-area townhouse also evacuated.

The sheriff’s office said the fires are a reminder of the dangers of fireworks.

“The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reminds the community that most fireworks in Illinois are not legal. Every year, deputies respond to calls where people have been critically injured or where structures have burned to the ground, due to illegally used fireworks. Please leave fireworks to professionals who have obtained the necessary permits, after their safety plans have been approved.