An East Rogers Park woman was killed overnight after a fire broke out in her apartment.The Cook County medical examiner's office identified her as Patricia Allen, and said she was in her 50s.Firefighters responded to the four-story apartment building at 6830 N. Sheridan at 12:30 a.m. The fire chief said the fire was limited to a single apartment on the second floor, where Allen's body was found.
"There was very little fire at all. Our guys did a good job, did the best they could, but she was already dead," Chicago Fire Chief James Thompson said at the scene. "We're still investigating the cause, but we did find smoking materials around where she was, and that may have something to do with it," he said.
Read more here: Woman dies in North Side apartment fire - CLTV Breaking NEWS
Unfortunately, we have no info yet about Patricia Allen. Something sounds fishy here: that she might already have been dead when the fire began?
ReplyDeleteI hope there is an autopsy performed, to determine real cause of death.
The CLTV NEWS article also mentioned that there were no smoke detectors present in her apartment.
ReplyDeleteThere was a smoke detector in the hallway though.
Is it not a requirement to have working smoke detectors in every apartment?
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ReplyDeleteYes, a smoke detector is required by law in every apartment. However, they may be battery-operated, which means the apartment resident must change them bi-annually, if not annually.
ReplyDeleteThe City of Chicago will provide the smoke detector, but it is up to you to do the maintenance ie: REPLACE THE BATTERIES. If someone is in dire circumstances, batteries are not at the top of the survival list.
I sincerely hope we find out more about Patricia Allen and her circumstances.
If the landlord had not placed a smoke detector in her apartment, he/she should be SUED within an inch of his/her life!
Perhaps that should happen more often, in the city of THE GREAT FIRE.