Man Found Dead In Chatham Apartment Fire; Investigators Suspect Arson
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 50-year-old man was found dead in a burning building Saturday morning in the Chatham neighborhood, and investigators believe the fire was the result of arson.
The fire started shortly before 3 a.m. on the second floor of an apartment building at 83rd and Drexel, police and fire officials said.
After firefighters extinguished the flames, they found a 50-year-old man in a third-floor apartment. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, and was later pronounced dead.
Police said investigators determined the fire was arson.
Tenants said, before the fire broke out, they heard a loud fight and a chaotic night.
"I was coming out of my sleep from hearing the music that woke me up, and hearing the doors slam; consistently, one, two slam. And then, all of a sudden, I had heard the fire alarms going off," said one woman who asked to remain anonymous.
No other injuries were reported, but two adults who live in the building were left homeless. The Red Cross was providing assistance to those tenants.