Rochelle House Fire Claims One Life

ROCHELLE — Ogle County and state officials are investigating a house fire near Rochelle that claimed the life of one person. Deputies and the Rochelle Fire Department responded just after 2 a.m. Sunday to a home in the 8000 block of South Thorpe Road. The second story of the home was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived, and one man was reportedly inside. Firefighters from Rochelle and 12 other departments worked to extinguish the fire. Ogle County Emergency Management and Ogle County Animal Control also assisted. The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office confirmed one person died. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office detective bureau and the Illinois State Fire Marshal. The identity of the deceased has not yet been released.