Elderly couple killed in Mokena house fire

MOKENA, Ill. (AP) — Authorities in suburban Chicago have identified an elderly married couple killed in a Mokena house fire.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office says 81-year-old Erwin L. Pauls and 80-year-old Arline R. Pauls died in the Wednesday blaze.

The Will County coroner’s office says preliminary results show the couple suffered smoke inhalation.

Firefighters pulled the couple from the south-suburban home after police tried to rescue them but encountered heavy smoke and flames. Officials say firefighters found one person in a hallway and one person in a back bedroom.

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