Man Found Dead In Fire That Damaged Three North Lawndale Buildings
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Firefighters found a man's body in a burning building early Thursday in the North Lawndale neighborhood.
The fire started around 3 a.m. in an abandoned building in the 1800 block of South Drake Avenue.
During an initial search of the building, firefighters found a man dead in a first floor bedroom of the building, according to Fire Department Deputy District Chief Chuck Maes. It was not immediately clear how the man died.
"It was boarded up. Fire companies made entry in there. They knocked the main body of fire. During their initial search, the primary search, they did find a recovery of one victim, male. At this time, it's a crime scene" Maes said.
The victim's name has not been released.
Fire Department officials said flames spread to two neighboring apartment buildings, forcing 15 adults and 11 children out of their homes.
"My grandchildren are okay. That's the most important, because I have one that has asthma, you know? Where are they going to go, they can come and go home with me, but that's five kids," Paula Hawkins said, after getting a call from her frantic daughter, who lives in one of the buildings that caught fire.
Cherrell Crenshaw was sleeping inside one of the buildings at the time of the fire, and woke up to see flames. She ushered several children out, so neighbors were hailing her as a hero.
"I was kind of shaking and scared, like I'm still shook up from the fire, but it's going to be okay," she said.
Neighbors wondered if the death could have been prevented.
"They need to board these abandoned buildings up. Somebody needs to come and search them, and make sure no one is in them so they won't set fire, because other lives are at stake. You have two houses on each side. What if everybody would have lost their life?" Hawkins said.
One man had to be rescued by the Fire Department, but officials said he was not seriously hurt.
Firefighters said the families who were forced out of their homes likely should be able to return soon, because most of the damage from the fire was on the back porches.
