4 killed in house fire in Crete, Illinois, including 3 students in Crete-Monee school district

Four people are dead after an overnight fire destroyed a home in south suburban Crete, Illinois. 

Village officials said they were called to a home on Chalet Court just before 1 a.m. Wednesday. When they arrived they found a single-story home on fire. 

While crews tried to search the home while battling heavy flames and smoke on the inside, they had to stop their search after a partial roof collapse and fight the fire defensively from outside. The fire was brought under control in about 40 minutes, officials said. 

When firefighters were able to safely re-enter the home, they found the home's four occupants dead inside. 

Village officials have not yet identified the victims, but the superintendent of Crete-Monee School District 201-U said three of their students had died in the fire in a letter to parents posted on the district's social media accounts.

Two of the children were students at Monee Elementary and one was a high school student at Crete-Monee High School, Dr. Kara Coglianese said in her letter to parents. She did not share their names or ages, or any further details "out of respect for the family's privacy and because circumstances are still being confirmed."

CBS Skywatch was over the scene where the fire had destroyed most of the single-story home, burning the roof off from what looked like the center of the home outward. There was also visible damage to trees on the property.

The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation. No further information was available, pending the investigation. 

The school district is providing counselors, social workers and other support staff for students that need them starting today, Dr. Coglianese said.