Authorities release name of woman killed in Zion senior home fire

A woman died in a Zion senior home fire that prompted authorities to evacuate the 90-unit building to the north suburb’s city hall.

The victim of the Monday fire was identified as 60-year-old Dawn Gideon by the Lake County coroner’s office.

Firefighters were called about 12:20 a.m. to Carmel House senior apartments, at 2815 Elisha Ave., and found heavy smoke on the third floor, the Zion Fire Department said in a statement.

Gideon was taken in serious condition to Vista East Medical Center and later pronounced dead, authorities said. Preliminary autopsy results released Tuesday found she died of smoke inhalation, the coroner’s office said.

Two others were taken for underlying medical issues that may have been exacerbated by the incident, the fire department release states.

Crews evacuated nearby units and extinguished the fire in the room it started, the fire department release states. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately clear.

Because of smoke, authorities evacuated all of the building’s occupants to Zion City Hall, which is within a block of the apartment building.

About 55 firefighters and 25 vehicles, including many from neighboring departments, assisted in the response.

All other residents were allowed to return to the building at 5 a.m., with the exception of the person who lived directly below the location of the fire, according to the building’s owner, SHP Management. That person will be housed at a hotel until a long-term housing is provided.