1 dead, 1 critically injured in Lake in the Hills fire

A 48-year-old man was killed and a 50-year-old man was critically hurt in a fire early Sunday at a northwest suburban Lake in the Hills home.

Firefighters responded to the blaze about 3:45 a.m. at 10 Newbury Court, according to Lake in the Hills Police Department.

The first units on the scene found the home engulfed in flames and the two men outside the home, police said. Both were flown to Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford in critical condition.

One of the men, identified as 48-year-old Christopher Laing, died at 2 p.m. Monday, police and the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office said. An autopsy Tuesday did not immediately rule on his cause of death pending further study.

Police said both men lived at the home where the fire occurred.

The blaze was under control within hours of crews arriving, police said. The cause was still under investigation Monday.