© 2024 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Early Morning Fire Claims 5 Members Of Illinois Family

An early morning house fire has killed five members of a family in northern Illinois.

Whiteside County Coroner Joe McDonald says firefighters responding to a blaze in Rock Falls found a husband and wife and three of their children dead around 5 a.m. Wednesday.

He identified the victims as Patrick and Mary Hopkins and their children, 24-year-old Maggie, 16-year-old Donovan and 13-year-old Katie Jo. The couple had two other children in their 20s.

Autopsies are pending, but McDonald says the victims likely died of smoke inhalation. They were found on the second floor of the home.

The fire is believed to have started in the downstairs living room.

Rock Falls is about 110 miles west of Chicago.