One person dead in Austin apartment fire
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One person is dead after a fire in a West Side apartment building Wednesday morning.
Chicago Fire Deputy District Chief Kelly Burns said the fire started around 10 a.m. in a two-story apartment building in the 1600 block of North Mayfield Avenue in the Austin neighborhood.
When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke coming from the building, and began a search, finding one person dead on the first floor, according to Burns.
Still and box 1623 North Mayfield. Two story brick. We have one fatality. pic.twitter.com/IB9ons3IOo
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) December 21, 2022
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as Maurice O'Neal, 70.
"I was really sad. I've known him since the third grade, and he was super welcoming, and so nice, and he always said hi to me whenever he saw me. He even knew my nephews' names. Yeah, this is really sad," Koya Scott said. "Very nice guy. He would sit in his van every day, and just listen to music."
Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire.
A firefighter was injured during the fire, and was taken to Rush University Medical Center in good condition.
The building had working smoke detectors on both floors.
Fire Department officials said the cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical issue, and the fire was deemed accidental.