John Schultz has been fighting fires in Geneva and Downers Grove for 19 years, but he said he hadn't fully experienced their true devastation until Monday, when he got a page indicating that his mother's home was on fire and she was on her way to the hospital.
She later died of her injuries.
Firefighters found Nancy Schultz, 69, on the living room floor of her house in Geneva after a passer-by saw smoke pouring out of the single-story structure, the Daily Herald reported.
The firefighter said that his mother was self-sufficient, had a lot of friends and enjoyed life.
"She was strong-willed but fun," he said.
