Chicago fire on Far South Side leaves 10-year-old dead, teen in critical condition
A 10-year-old boy is dead, and a disabled teen was left in critical condition, after a fire in Chicago's Washington Heights neighborhood early Monday morning.
Chicago police officers and firefighters were called for a fire in the 10400 block of South Green Street at 3:27 a.m.
Firefighters found a 10-year-old in the house, and he was rushed to Roseland Community Hospital, where he died. A police account initially said this child was a girl, but family later corrected the record to say the child was a boy.
An 18-year-old man was taken to OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park in critical condition.
Robert Harris is the father of the woman who owns the house, and the grandfather of the boy who died and the teen who went to the hospital.
Harris said his 10-year-old grandson was found on the couch in the living room and had suffered smoke inhalation. Harris identified the boy as London Woodard.
"The only thing that caught on fire in the house was just, was just the couch , and that's where they found him," Harris said. "No other part of the house burned nowhere else. It's just only in the front couch."
Harris said his grandson London was gifted at basketball.
"He was a little basketball star, and he played with the 10-year-olds. He also played with the 14- and 15-year-olds," said Harris. "He was just that good."
Harris said his teenage grandson has cerebral palsy, and had trouble escaping because he uses a wheelchair.
A wheelchair lift was attached to the front of the house.
Harris said the 18-year-old was being transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood on Monday morning.
"And so he's full of smoke and everything, so they got him on life support trying to get him stabilized now," Harris said.
Police said a man and a woman escaped uninjured. Harris said this man and woman were the child and teen's mother and father, and were sleeping downstairs at the time.
Neighbors described the horrific and chaotic scene.
"My granddaughter woke me up and said that the house was on fire next door," said Tiwanna Connolly. "When I came out, she was crying, and saying that her sons were in the house."
Hours after the fire, a group of Chicago police investigators remained at the scene. The Chicago Fire Department was also investigating the cause of the fire early Monday.
Harris said there might have been an electrical issue at the house.