chicagoareafire.com

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Eight people were killed in Little Village on Sunday morning — including at least six children — in what officials said was the deadliest city fire in a decade. A teenager and a young adult also were rushed to hospitals in very critical condition, and a firefighter was hospitalized in good condition.

The fire struck a home where a group of siblings and cousins were attending a sleepover. 

Late Sunday, authorities had not released the names and ages of the victims. Krystle Sauseda, 31, who said she was an aunt of many of the victims, said they included four siblings from one family, three siblings from another family and an unrelated teen who was a close friend to the group.

Firefighters were called just before 4 a.m. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said investigators had not found working smoke detectors. Fire officials were still working to determine the cause of the fire, aided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They determined the blaze started in an enclosed porch at the back of the rear building.

The fire was the deadliest in Chicago in more than a decade, but it could have been avoided if smoke detectors had been in use.

“It was not hard to get out. The fire started in the rear, and the entryway to the front was wide open,” Langford said. “Had they been awake or if someone had woken them, they would have gotten out.”

Community groups and churches are trying to raise at least $120,000 as the close-knit Little Village neighborhood responds to a horrific fire over the weekend that killed six children and two adults. The victims have not been officially identified, but relatives said the children ranged in age from 3 months to 16 years old. Two boys, both 14, remain in critical condition at Stroger Hospital.

At least two GoFundMe campaigns have been launched to help affected families. One, by the community group La Villita Chi, had raised $5,637 of its goal of $20,000 as of Monday morning. On its GoFundMe site, the group said donations could also be dropped off at the Amor De Dios Church at 2356 S. Sawyer Ave., not far from the fire.

Another group, Enlace Chicago, had raised $2,635 of its goal of $100,000. The group, which sponsors educational, health and anti-violence programs, is also collecting donations at 2329 S. Troy St. and 2756 S. Harding Ave.