Three children were taken to Comer Children's Hospital following a fire in a Chicago Housing Authority building in the Bronzeville neighborhood. The fire occurred Wednesday in a unit on the fourth floor of the six-story structure located at 2964 S. State St., part of the Dearborn Homes public housing development, ABC7 Chicago reports.
According to authorities, the ages of the hospitalized children are not immediately known, but a source disclosed to CBS News Chicago that they are ages 11, 9, and 6. The children were reportedly playing with a firecracker in a bed when it caught, fire. Firefighters responded to the situation, deploying additional firefighting equipment and EMS services to the scene.
The Chicago Fire Department extinguished the blaze, which had been contained to the one unit. Of the three, one child suffered a minor burn injury, while the other two suffered from smoke inhalation. Despite the circumstances, all three children are reported to be in good condition, according to the same sources.
The incident has sparked an investigation by the Chicago Fire Department to determine the cause of the fire. While the specifics of how the fire started are still under investigation, the fact that children found themselves amidst such danger casts a light on the broader issues of safety in public housing. As the community grapples with the aftermath, the Chicago Fire Department continues its efforts to uncover the details of how the fire started, and, ensure that future tragedies such as this are averted.
