Nov. 12--A man believed to have been working on plumbing at a Crystal Lake home died following a fire at the house Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The man, whose identity and age were not released pending family notification and positive identification, was found dead after the fire, which started about 2:40 p.m. in the 1100 block of North Shore Drive in the northwest suburb, police said in a news release.
The man was thought to have been repairing plumbing in the house using a torch before the fire started, police said. A passerby saw smoke coming from the home and flagged down a neighbor who was driving past.
The neighbor went into the 1 1/2-story coach house and found the man, then dragged him outside.
When Crystal Lake emergency crews arrived on the scene, they found the man "with no signs of life," according to the release.
It was not known if the man died before the fire started or because of injuries suffered in the fire, police said. The McHenry County coroner is investigating the cause and manner of death.
No one else was at home when the fire started, and no one else was injured, police said.
The coach house is uninhabitable because of the fire -- it sustained more than $25,000 in damage, according to police.
Nine departments assisted in the firefighting effort.
Crystal Lake police and fire officials and the Illinois state fire marshal's office are investigating the fire.
