Feb. 16—VIRDEN — Two people died and another was seriously injured in a house fire Saturday, according to authorities.
A 13-year-old boy and a 34-year-old man died shortly after arriving at Springfield Memorial Hospital, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon. Neither has been identified, pending notification of relatives.
The two were among three people firefighters found inside a burning house in the 200 block of West Dean Street, according to a Virden Fire Department report.
The condition of the third person was unavailable Sunday morning.
A passer-by alerted firefighters to the house fire near Church Street about 9:20 a.m. Saturday. Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire conditions, according to the report. Mutual aid was requested from fire departments in Girard, Chatham and Auburn and Gillespie-Benld Ambulance and Prairieland Ambulance Co.
Firefighters were able to extinguish most of the fire quickly, but smoke limited visibility, according to the fire report.
Two people were found during firefighters’ search of the house and removed and the third person was found shortly after, according to the report.
- Bronx (NY) Fire Kills Two, Damages Buddhist Temple; Hydrants Blocked Again
- One Killed in Early Morning Denver House Fire
- Two Dead in Chicopee (MA) House Fire
A helicopter ambulance was requested but unable to respond because of weather conditions, according to the fire department. The three were taken to Springfield hospitals by ambulance.
The deaths are under investigation by the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
© 2025 the Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.). Visit www.myjournalcourier.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
