Boy Killed In Northwest Side Fire Identified, Parents In Critical Condition
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The boy who died in a fire in the Hollywood Park neighborhood over the weekend has been identified as a 10-year-old boy who lived with his family in the four-story apartment building.
Family identified the victim as ten-year-old Ans Khan. CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports the fire not only claimed the boy's life, it also left his parents critically injured and it's expected they won't be in any shape to attend his funeral.
Witnesses reported seeing some residents jump from the apartment complex near Kimball and Ardmore early Sunday, but ten-year-old Ans Khan was not able to get out.
"Parents, they were holding the kids from the elbows, throwing them out the window, and there were a couple of people standing on the floor catching the kids. After that, they jumped themselves from the window," said Mubasher Feroze, a friend of the Khan family.
Seven-year-old Amman Khan and another brother were tossed from the window and survived, but firefighters discovered the body of his big brother Ans inside.
"It was so sudden, there was so much smoke that has started in in the apartment and he may not be able to breathe properly or he may not be able to see his way out," said Feroze.
The fire started on the back porch on the third floor, which is where Ans and his family lived. Flames quickly engulfed one-third of the courtyard building, as well as a four-flat next door.
The fire left both parents in critical condition with the mother, Maria, at Stroger Hospital and the father, Tahir, at St. Francis in Evanston.
"Mr. Khan, when he was brought to St. Francis, the doctors said he was conscious and asking about the kids," Feroze said.
The family hopes to bury Ans as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, but his parents won't be there.
"I do not think they are in condition to attend the funeral," Feroze said.
A fire department spokesman told says, despite speculation to the contrary, the fire seems accidental and there is nothing to suggest arson at this time.