Excerpts from the saukvalley.com:

A young Leaf River firefighter died this Friday and two members of his family are hospitalized after a fire destroyed their home.

Shortly before 1 a.m., Greg Wood, 19, died on the second floor of the home at 209 W. Second St., which is just a block from the fire station. 

Wood’s father, Marcus Wood, 43, who is the deputy chief of the Leaf River Fire Department, is being treated at the burn unit at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, and his son, Travis, 16, is at Mercyhealth Hospital in Rockford.

The cause of the fire, which is not considered suspicious, is under investigation by Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigation, the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department.

Fire Chief Steve Shelton, who lives across the street from the Woods, said he was awakened about 12:40 a.m. by members of the Wood family pounding on his door for help. By then the entire front of the two-story frame house was in flames.

He and his son, also a firefighter, immediately went to the fire station, and when they arrived on the scene with a fire truck, the house was totally engulfed.

Fifteen area fire departments responded to the scene. 

This is the first time the Leaf River Fire Department has lost a firefighter in a fire, and the entire department is devastated, Shelton said.

Neighboring fire departments will be covering Leaf River’s fire calls for the next few days.

Both Marcus and Greg also volunteered for the German Valley Fire Department, and Greg had just completed EMT classes.

After 2 or 3 hours, the firefighters’ efforts depleted the village’s water supply, and they switched to drafting water from tankers.

Greg graduated last school year from Forreston High School, where he was a member of the Leaf River Fire Department Volunteer Cadet Program. 

Tags: 19-year-old dies in house fire, Fire Chief Steve Shelton, Greg Wood, Leaf River Fire Department, Marcus Wood