HAWTHORN WOOD, Ill. (WLS) — Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire that destroyed a large home in the northwest suburbs on Saturday.

The lack of fire hydrants in the area is due to problems for the Hawthorn Woods Fire Department.

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Flames were already burning through the roof of the house when firefighters arrived. The home near Rosewood Drive and Orchard Lane was completely engulfed in flames.

“Due to the complexity, the scale of the fire and the lack of water, a third alarm was sounded to send resources here,” Lake Zurich Fire Chief David Pilgard said.

The area did not have fire hydrants, so firefighters had to bring water with them. More than a dozen large fire engines gathered in the area. This added time to firefighting efforts.

They attacked it from several angles, narrowing the fire down to the house where it had started, but it took several hours before firefighters were able to completely extinguish the flames.

The house is a total loss.

Firefighters say the family had an electronic vehicle and a charging station in the garage. While they don’t know if that’s where the fire started, they said it created additional challenges in putting out the fire.

But more importantly, authorities said they were able to locate all of the family members who lived here.

“It gets complex very quickly with a large fire and all the resources, setting up the ladder truck, water and multiple hoses to put out the fire,” Pilgard said.

Fire investigators continue to investigate the cause of this fire and are also joined in their investigation by Hawthorn Woods Police.