VIDEO: 3 IL Officers Injured Rescuing Teen from House Fire
Three police officers were injured while saving a teenager's life during a house fire early Tuesday in north suburban Grayslake, IL, reports CBS Chicago.
Firefighters responded at 12:34 a.m. to the home and found officers from the Grayslake (IL) Police Department in the process of rescuing a resident, according to the Grayslake Fire Protection District.
The officers are OK, but the teen remains in critical condition.
The smoke was so thick the officers got on their stomachs and crawled to the upstairs room working as a team to rescue a teenager still inside the home. "One went as far as he thought he could go and the next one went up and finally reached the top of the stairs, felt the victim, and then pulled him out," Perlini said.
The 17-year-old boy was alive when he was pulled outside the front door. He was rushed to a local hospital before being transferred to the burn unit at Loyola in critical condition.
Two of the police officers were treated for smoke inhalation and released. The third is being held for observation.
So far investigators think the fire may have been triggered by a dryer vent which sparked behind some drywall.