An extra-alarm fire broke out in an apartment building early Sunday morning in the Hollywood Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, killing one and injuring 11 people, according to preliminary reports from authorities detailed by The Chicago Tribune.
Among the 11 people injured are at least five children, officials said. The age and gender of the person who died in the fire has not been confirmed, but Chicago Fire Department spokesman Joe Roccasalva said the he was a male under 15 years old. He also said that other members of the boy’s family were among the injured.
The Chicago Police Department Office of News Affairs said the boy was 10 years old.
According to a police source, the fire appears to be suspicious in origin. But fire officials could not say what the cause of the fire was, saying that it was under investigation.
Roccasalva would not say whether fire officials believe the fire was suspicious. He could not confirm where the fire started in the building, saying only that it was still under investigation.
Deputy District Chief John Shehan described it as a “fast-spreading fire” and declined to say anything else about it.
Two people were in critical condition and nine more people were injured and stabilized, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Juan Hernandez.
The 11 wounded were transported to Swedish Covenant Hospital, Weiss Memorial Hospital and Thorek Memorial Hospital, Roccasalva said.
Red Cross officials said about 27 people were displaced by the fire.
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