Child Suffers Life-Threatening Burns In West Pullman Fire; 2 Other Children, 1 Adult Also Injured
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A child suffered life-threatening burns in a West Pullman apartment fire Friday afternoon. One witness said the child was burned from "head to toe." Two other children and an adult also were injured.
City records show the building has faced multiple code violations over the past several years.
The fire started shortly before 12:30 p.m. at an apartment building at 12141 S. Indiana Ave., according to the Chicago Fire Department.
One child, who is about 12 or 13 years old, suffered "high percentage burns" and was being treated at Comer Children's Hospital. The child's condition was not available Friday afternoon, but a fire department spokesman said the injuries were life-threatening.
One woman who lives in the building said the boy was burned "from head to toe."
"Skin peeling, clothes burnt off and everything," Nikki Johnson said.
Two other children were taken to Comer in good condition. A woman who also was injured was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where her condition was stabilized.
Johnson said the three other people injured are the boy's mother and siblings.
Fire department officials said the fire was contained to one apartment. Firefighters did not hear any smoke detectors when they arrived.
"This building is a bad building, and people need to start saying stuff about this building," Johnson said.
According to city records, the building failed at least 17 various inspections since 2005 and has been cited for multiple violations related to the boiler system and elevators.
