Elderly woman found dead in burning Barrington home

(BARRINGTON) An elderly woman found dead inside a burning house in unincorporated Barrington early Saturday remains unidentified.

Emergency responders were called about 1:15 a.m. to the fire at a home in the 21000 block of North 21st Street, according to a statement from the Lake County sheriff’s office.

When deputies arrived, the house was “fully engulfed in flames” and a body, believed to be the homeowner, was found in an upstairs bedroom, the sheriff’s office said.

The 82-year-old woman died of carbon monoxide intoxication due to inhalation of smoke and soot due to the house fire, according to the Lake County coroner’s office.

As of Monday, the woman had not been identified, pending results of DNA analysis.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division, the Barrington Countryside Fire Department and State Fire Marshal’s office.