Man Charged After Firework Fire Burns Baby, Displaces 36
UPDATED 03/01/11 6:57 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man has been charged with arson for allegedly lighting a firework during a domestic disturbance Monday night that sparked a fire and burned a six-month-old girl and displace dozens from an Austin neighborhood apartment building.
Johnell Walker, 28, of the 700 block of North Central Avenue, was charged Tuesday with three felony counts of aggravated arson causing bodily harm, police said. Walker has several aliases, including Johnnal Walker.
As CBS 2's Susanna Song reports, a lovers' quarrel might have been the motive for the firework blast that led to the fire at 723 N. Central Ave. in the South Austin neighborhood. Among the injured was a 6-month-old girl who remained hospitalized with burns as of 11 a.m.
The building maintenance manager brought CBS 2 up to unit 203, where everything was burned.
"This is where he supposedly threw it," said the manager as he pointed to a spot in a charred room.
The manager, who didn't want his name used, said the firecracker caused the room to go up in flames, and within seconds spread down the hallway and into other units.
Police said the man threw the firecracker after a fight with a woman around 9 p.m. In addition to the baby girl, four others were critically injured, officials said.
The baby girl was with the man and woman during the fight, according to the manager.
"He lit it off of that stove there and threw it; dropped right in that little bare spot over there," the manager said.
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Neighbors were terrified.
"I heard a really loud explosion, and I thought it was something inside my house, because it was so loud, and it shook," said Gloria Christopher, who lives in a frame house next door.
Christopher said by the time she realized her house was okay, police and fire crews arrived.
A short time later, she says she heard a second explosion, and tenants filing out of the building. Most of them had no shirts; just underwear.
"It was really scary; the explosion was really scary, because it's so close that you think your house is on fire," she said.
Inside the building where the fire broke out, Lily Ford was watching television when she heard the explosion across the hall.
Fire Deputy Chief John Sheehan said when firefighters arrived, dozens of people were hanging out the windows trying to escape the flames.
"A lot of smoke and flames, a lot of fire on the second floor of an occupied building," Sheehan said. "A lot of lives saved here, and fast action."
The 6-month-old girl was taken to Children's Memorial Hospital in stable to critical condition, police said. A man in his 20s was also taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, while others found their way to hospitals without ambulances, officials said.
Another person was treated on the scene and released.
In addition to the injuries, a total of 36 people were left homeless by the blaze, officials said.
The building remains intact, but the second floor was completely destroyed by the fire. Water and smoke damage have also affected the first and third floors.
Police took a man into custody as he was caught running away from the burning building. No charges had been filed as of 5:15 p.m.
As a stream of fire officials moved in to investigate, residents were packing up and moving out of the building.
"I went and got some clothes for my son because he came out with nothing on," resident Danielle Griffin said.
Residents were told it could be a long time before they can move back in.
"They said three to four weeks, but they're not positive. It's not for sure at all," resident Eddy Newman said.
Residents were nervous about finding a place to stay and angry about a blaze that appears to have been sparked on purpose.
"The next thing we knew we heard a boom and the daughter-in-law, she went out and said 'The baby's shot, the baby's shot,'" one resident told CBS 2.
The 6-month old baby girl and five others were critically injured.
"He should be charged with something. He endangered a lot of people's lives in here with that. It could've been worse than what it was," one woman who lives in the building said.
While most of the damage was confined to the second floor, all residents had to leave. A representative of the owner said they'll try to help residents find temporary homes.
"We're going to try and make things as comfortable and as quick as possible for our tenants and try to relocate them to other buildings where we have availability or help them find other apartments through other agencies in the city," Gene Staples said.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
