Husband, Wife Killed In Westmont Fire
Updated: 10/25/10 3:19 p.m.
WESTMONT, Ill. (STMW) - A west suburban couple died shortly after being rescued from a fire in their Westmont home Sunday evening.
Rosemary Husser, 64, and George Husser, 65, were killed in the blaze, the DuPage County Coroner's office said.
The fire was reported at 6:21 p.m. in the two-story home in the 400 block of Whipple Lane, Westmont police Sgt. Michael Dale said. Police and fireighters arrived to find the couple unresponsive in a second-floor bedroom.
They were taken to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove where they were pronounced dead, the coroner's office said, George Husser at 7:08 p.m. and his wife at 9:07 p.m.
A Westmont police officer and Westmont Fire Dept. captain were also hospitalized after suffering exhaustion and smoke inhalation, Dale said. The officer was released several hours later.
It was unclear whether the fire captain was still hospitalized on Monday, Westmont Fire Dept. Craig Skala said.
"He suffered exhaustion," Skala said. " He went up the stairs and was working pretty hard at the top of the stairs."
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within 30 minutes, Skala said. The fire was contained to the bedroom where the couple was found and appears to have been accidental.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although there were no signs of foul play, police said. Even so, the DuPage police and fire departments, as well as the DuPage County Arson Task Force, State Fire Marshall and ATF are investigating.
Dale and Skala said the large number of agencies are protocol for fatal fires.
Autopsies for the Hussers are scheduled for Monday afternoon, the coroner's office said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
