2 men died in a fire near Union. Now one man’s family is suing the other’s estate: ‘Preventable tragedy’

The family of a man who died in a house fire last year near Union is suing the estate of the homeowner who also lost his life in the blaze.

Eric Dettmer, 73, of Union and Mark Dodge, 71, of Campbell, New York, died in the fire on March 5, 2024, according to the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.

The Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts and the Union Fire Protection District responded to a call about 4 a.m. that day for a house fire in the 9600 block of Knolltop Road. Responders found two people, a cat and a dog dead in the home, Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts Communication Specialist Alex Vucha said in a news release at the time.

According to the civil lawsuit filed in McHenry County court on May 30, Dodge’s estate is seeking more than $50,000, plus costs and interest for “funeral expenses, loss of companionship and society, and grief, sorrow and mental anguish.”

The complaint claims Dettmer, who was the owner of the Union home, started the fire by failing to extinguish a cigarette he’d smoked and failed to warn Dodge of the fire.

The men were “longtime friends,” and Dodge was assisting Dettmer at his home, said attorney Matthew Jenkins of the firm of Passen Powell Jenkins, which is representing Dodge’s estate and his six adult children.

“This was a preventable tragedy in the twilight of his life,” Jenkins said.

An attorney representing Dettmer’s estate could not be reached for comment.

The fire is believed to have been started by “smoking materials burrowed” in between the arm and seat cushion of an upholstered couch in the living room, according to a report made by Office of the State Fire Marshal and obtained by Shaw Media through a Freedom of Information Act request. The fire was declared accidental, according to the report.

Responders were first alerted to the fire by a newspaper delivery person. Fire personnel arrived to an active blaze in the living room with “heavy smoke conditions,” and though smoke or fire alarms were present, they were not operating, according to the report.

At the time of the fire, Dettmer was in the living room and Dodge was in a back bedroom, according to the complaint.