'It's just a heart-wrenching tragedy': 2 girls killed, 4 people injured in Ingleside fire

Despite firefighters’ rescue attempts, two young sisters were killed in a house fire Thursday night in Ingleside.

Firefighters repeatedly tried to reach 8-year-old Elizabeth Evans and 5-year-old Autumn Evans inside the burning house in the 35700 block of North Hunt Avenue, but crews couldn’t get to them, Fox Lake Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Edward Lescher said.

Neighbors and friends confirmed the girls’ identities Friday. An official announcement from the Lake County Coroner’s Office is pending.

Four other people were injured in the fire, including the girls’ mother and grandparents, authorities said. No firefighters were hurt.

The girl’s mother, Katie Evans, jumped from a second-story window as the house burned, neighbor Shannon Carroll said. Neighbors came to her assistance.

“Everybody tried to do everything we could to help,” Carroll said.

Friends mourned the girls Friday. Balloons, roses and stuffed bears were left at a wooden fence in front of the two-story home.

“It’s just a heart-wrenching tragedy,” said Lake County Board member Judy Martini of Fox Lake, whose district includes the Ingleside area.

The blaze was reported about 10:45 p.m. Thursday.

“When we arrived at the scene, we could see the house fully [engulfed] – fire on the first floor and fire on the second floor,” Lescher said. “There were three victims in the front yard suffering from smoke inhalation and a male with significant burns.”

About 50 firefighters from 10 area departments battled the flames, which left the house a total loss.

One resident told firefighters that another woman and the two young girls were inside.

Lescher said firefighters entered through a back door and found the woman about 10 or 15 feet from the door.

Firefighters tried to move deeper into the home but were driven back by smoke and flames.

“We tried to go back in to get a second attempt and just couldn’t go inside, so we had to switch to a defensive operation,” Lescher said.

Lescher said they sent a crew in again a few minutes later only to find that part of the second floor had collapsed onto the first floor.

“We went in six additional times to try and get to the kids while still fighting the fire,” Lescher said.

Once firefighters had the blaze under control and were able to safely reach the second floor, they found the older girl’s body in a bedroom and the younger girl’s body in a hallway, he said.

The adult victims were taken to hospitals, authorities said. Three – the girls’ mother and grandparents, authorities said – have been transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood with severe burns.

Neighbors described the Evanses as a big, happy family.

Elizabeth and Autumn enjoyed playing outside and running around from yard to yard, often barefoot, Raul Paz said.

Paz’s 9-year-old daughter, Vivianna, regularly played with them and would sometimes join the Evanses when they hosted outdoor movie nights using a projector.

“She has been crying all night,” Paz said. “It has hit her the hardest.”

Shannon Carroll, who lives across the street from the Evanses’ house, cried while talking about how nice the Evans family has been to her. She said she was a single mother when she moved in, and the Evanses were kind to her and helped when she couldn’t afford grocery bills.

Carroll said her young son played with the Evans girls almost every day and went to their house for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I just don’t know what I’m going to tell my son,” Carroll said, adding that she planned to temporarily stay in a hotel because she couldn’t stand to look at the burned home.

At least one of the girls attended school in Gavin Elementary School District 37. Superintendent Julie A. Brua informed families of the tragedy with a message Friday. School officials made a crisis intervention team available and provided information about additional resources for students, parents and staff needing assistance.

“We are saddened by the loss to our school community and will make every effort to help you and your child as you need,” Brua said in her message.

Autopsies on the sisters were scheduled to be conducted Friday, Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Friday. The state fire marshal is participating in a search for clues.

Firefighters and investigators did not find smoke detectors in the home, Lescher said.

• Daily Herald staff writers Jake Griffin and Joe Lewnard contributed to this report.