3 children, man die in Chicago apartment fire

Police in Chicago say three children and a man have died in a fire at a Chicago apartment building that appears to have been deliberately set after a domestic dispute. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find heavy flames on the second and third floors of the three-story courtyard apartment building, Gray said. He was taken to a hospital and his condition was stabilized, she said.

The two girls, age 4 and 6, were discovered in the same apartment. The city’s bomb and arson unit is investigating and is calling the fire arson.

Authorities later confirmed a 3-month-old girl was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, and was pronounced dead.

The official also described the fire of being “of suspicious nature”.

Witnesses told reporters they saw several people jumping from windows to escape. “I went over there to try to help him with the baby, and the lady, one of the nurses standing on the street, came and gave the baby CPR, but right away I knew the baby was nearly lifeless”. Family members identified the girls as Melanie’s sisters, 4-year-old Madison Watson and 7-year-old Shaniyah Staples.

An adult and two children are missing. Inspectors issued building code citations because they couldn’t access “most dwelling units” to verify smoke detectors and conditions; because mice droppings were found in one apartment; because a porch was found to be defective or missing parts; and because a porch needed repairs.

“It’s just the nick of the time”, resident Lanita Smith told ABC station WLS-TV.

“The fire was upstairs and downstairs”, Smith said.

Turner, who has lived on the block for 40 years, said he ran outside when he heard someone yell for help.

The fire spread through back porches to a neighboring building.

The Chicago Police is interviewing one potential witness that killed four people already, from which three of them were children, and three others with serious injuries.

The building, managed by Villa Capital Properties, failed an annual inspection in November 2015 from the city’s Department of Buildings, according to city records.