Two men have been found dead and five people are in hospital with respiratory problems after a hazardous material was discovered inside a house in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Four first responders to the scene suffered breathing problems after entering the home before they were withdrawn due to the unknown substance.

A woman was also found alive inside the house in Maine Township and was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

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Following a two hour wait to air out the house, the hazardous materials response team was given access to investigate the deadly material

Emergency responders hose down an investigator in protective clothing who entered the home after two men died

The alarm was raised by a local vicar, who went to visit the house and phoned the police to report that several people were in a serious condition.

Residents in several nearby houses also had to be evacuated after growing fears about the strength of the deadly substance inside the building.

According to ncbchicago the two dead men were identified Friday morning as 53-year-old Hong Kyqkim and 83-year-old John Tae Kim, the medical examiner's office said. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next A PURRFECT companion: Meet Fergusson, the 10.5KG cat who is... Tragedy as devastated widower shoots and kills himself at... Share this article Share One of the bodies was discovered in the basement of the house whilst the second victim was found on the second floor. Richard Dobrowski, chief of the North Maine Fire Protection District, confirmed that the response team did not find any poisonous gases or similar substances in the house. 'They also have a gas monitors and stuff like that for any kind of poisonous gases, and nothing showed up on the monitors and all the air was clear,' he said. 'They didn't find anything in particular but they were able to rule out anything that was bad - as far as any kind of alkali or acid that was still in there, fumes' Dobrowski added. 'They were also able to test the water that they found to make sure there was nothing mixed, chemical wise.'

Sealed-off: Residents in several nearby houses also had to be evacuated after growing fears about the strength of the deadly substance inside the building

A woman was also found alive inside the house in Maine Township, Des Plaines (pictured) and was taken to hospital in a serious condition

He confirmed that several of the officers, who arrived on the scene, started to 'feel sick' shortly after entering the house.

Following a two hour wait to air out the house, the hazardous materials response team was given access to the home to investigate the deadly material. They entered wearing protective suits and masks.

The identity of the hazardous material remains unclear and investigators continue to examine the house for clues.