Fire Crews Probe Lake Forest Mansion Fire

Fire investigators on Monday morning continued searching for answers as to what caused a huge fire at a multi-million dollar mansion in north suburban Lake Forest.

Crews were called to the 6,000 square foot home on the 1100 block of Keswick Lane just before 12 a.m. Monday by the homeowner reporting a fire on the roof.

"When I arrived the roof was fully involved and fire had dropped into the second floor," said Lake Forest Fire Battalion Chief Mike Gallo. "I’d say within 15 minutes the roof was beginning to sag and was destroyed.

"We had to go with an exterior attack," he added. "It was tough because we couldn’t put anyone in the building. It was too unstable. So we were trying to attack with exterior hose lines; there’s no sense in putting anybody in a fire to try and save a house."

The blaze was under control within about 45 minutes, officials said, and roughly a dozen fire departments assisted Lake Forest, including Lake Bluff, Knollwood, Highland Park and Libertyville.

No injuries were reported, but the home, with an estimated value between $3 and $4 million, was considered a total loss.