Excerpts from ABC7Chicago.com:
A house fire that killed a young girl and injured eight people on the city’s South Side Friday night was caused by “careless use of smoking materials,” fire investigators said, and the fire began on a back stairwell and quickly spread. Because there were no working smoke detectors inside the home, 12-year-old Tatiana Joseph had no warning and became trapped.
Firefighters arrived at the two-and-a-half story house around 10 p.m. Friday to find heavy dense smoke and flames shooting out of the building’s roof as a group of children and teens were sleeping in the attic.
Witnesses say all of them except Tatiana jumped from a front window to safety after the back stairwell to the attic, which was littered with clothing, became engulfed in flames. By the time the fire was out, eight people were left seriously injured and Tatiana was dead. She was found near an attic closet. The most seriously of the injured was a 16-year-old boy who jumped to safety from the attic window. He suffered broken bones and deep cuts.
“There were a lot of firefighters on hand because we knew there was a little girl missing,” said Asst. Deputy Fire Commissioner Mark Nielsen, Chicago Fire Department.
