A tragic incident unfolded in Mundelein's north suburbs, where firefighters discovered the body of 77-year-old Alicia Bowles following a fire at her residence, a townhouse described to be in severe hoarder conditions, which hindered rescue efforts. The ABC7 Chicago reports that the Mundelein Fire Department responded to the fire call around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, while the Lake and McHenry County Scanner noted the presence of heavy smoke and flames primarily consuming the rear of the second floor.
Officials originally suspected that the elderly woman was missing, but by Monday, her body was found in a second-floor bedroom. The discovery was grim and posed significant challenges due to mounds of hoarded items up to 5 feet high throughout the house, obstructing stairwells and pathways. "Upon arrival, the front door could only be opened 5 to 6 inches, and had to be removed off its hinges," officials said. Bowles was identified by the Lake County Coroner's Office.
The home, lacking central heating, was found to contain space heaters and propane-powered camping-type heaters, indicating alternate sources of heat may have been in use. There was no immediate suspicion of foul play, according to officials. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office checked in on Bowles' place of work, where they learned she had not shown up, contributing to the concern for her welfare at the time of the fire.
The response to the fire required officials to call upon the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to bring additional fire department resources to the scene, explained Mundelein Fire Chief Bill Lark, according to the Lake and McHenry County Scanner. Although firefighters first attempted to extinguish the fire from within, the intense conditions of the house eventually compelled them to tackle the fire from the outside. "These hoarder conditions were also found on the stairwell to the second floor which made accessing the second floor extremely difficultt," Lark said.
