Arlington Heights Fire: Arson Kills 3 Finnerty Family Members

Patricia Finnerty was found in an upstairs bedroom, where the fire appears to have started. "They attempted to revive her outside, but it was too late," Sgt. Tom Seleski of the Arlington Heights Police Department.

Her son Garret's body was found in another upstairs bedroom.

Kevin Finnerty, 46, was found on the first floor near the kitchen. He remains in "very critical" condition at Loyola, Galinski said.

Police said they were summoned to the house about 3:30 a.m. by a 911 call after a neighbor's child noticed the fire. A younger sibling at the Finnerty home was on the roof awaiting rescue, police said.

At 2:03 a.m. Wednesday, Kevin Finnerty, 46, was pronounced dead at Northwest Community Healthcare in Arlington Heights, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. Kevin Finnerty suffered burns over virtually his entire body and was in "severely grave" condition Monday, Police Cmdr. Kenneth Galinski said.

"There is some heavy charring and burning on one section of bedroom floor," Galinski said.

All the doors to the home were locked when firefighters arrived, leading investigators to conclude a family member likely set the deadly fire inside the modest, white frame house, Galinski said.

Kevin Finnerty was pulled from the first-floor kitchen area of the home by firefighters, who found a cut on Finnerty's head. His son, Garrett, a fifth-grader who was to graduate next week from Westgate School, was found in bed in his second-floor bedroom, authorities said.

Galinski and other officials late Tuesday wouldn't say who they think started the blaze.

Neighbors and police said Patricia Finnerty was a college counselor at Libertyville High School; police said her husband was an artist. Here's a link to Kevin Finnerty's Web site. 

Jim Whittington, Libertyville High School's co-principal, released this statement this afternoon: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Trish Finnerty and the horrible tragedy that has impacted her family. In the year that she worked at our school, she formed incredible bonds with our students and staff. She was a valued staff member, and has formed many relationships with our parents and students, and was instrumental in helping our seniors gain admission to college. She will be deeply missed and her family continues to be in our thoughts and prayers."

At 8:15 a.m., the school gathered all the teachers together to inform them of the tragedy. Fifteen minutes later, parents were notified by an automated call system, and counselors were dispatched to the school to assist with grieving students.

"Some of the counselors were there today, and more will be available throughout the week," Jermone said.

One of the counselors was to be stationed directly in the 5th grade class in which FInnerty was a student, she said.

Killed in the blaze were 41-year-old Patricia Finnerty, who worked as a counselor at Libertyville High School, and her oldest son, Garrett, a fifth grader at Westgate School near the family's home, Arlington Heights police said.

Finnerty's husband, 46-year-old Kevin Finnerty, was pulled from the house with severe burns and was in critical condition "on life support" at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Police Cmdr. Kenneth Galinski said. Finnerty also had a cut on his head, though police said they were still attempting to determine how that injury occurred.

Two other children, a 6-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister, escaped the blaze by crawling out of a second-floor window onto a roof over the home's front door, police said.

The girl jumped from that roof to the ground, then ran to the home of a neighbor, who called 911 and reported the fire. By mid-day, police had the two-story home sealed off and were continuing to probe through what they called "a crime scene."

"It's a suspicious fire deemed possible arson," Galinski said.