A fire tore through an apartment building in the 1400 block of North Harlem Avenue in River Forest, killing one person, fire officials said Tuesday. The cause of the blaze has not been determined, and the Illinois State Fire Marshal's office is assisting local authorities with the investigation.
Fire officials confirmed the death but have not released the identity of the victim, according to ABC7 Chicago. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has a role in death investigations in Cook County.
State Fire Marshal Joins the Investigation
The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal is helping local River Forest authorities determine how the fire started, per the ABC7 report. The agency's Division of Arson Investigation can assist with fire investigations.
State investigators are assisting local authorities with the investigation.
A Dense Corridor of Apartment Buildings
Harlem Avenue and the Surrounding Area The fire struck a stretch of Harlem Avenue, which is also Illinois Route 43.
It isn't the first fire along this stretch of road this year. In June, firefighters from six surrounding municipalities — River Forest, Oak Park, Forest Park, Maywood, Cicero, and Berwyn — responded to a house fire on the 600 block of Harlem Avenue, according to the Forest Park Review.
What Remains Unknown
What Remains Unknown Several key details of Tuesday's fire have not yet been made public. Officials have not addressed the building's age or structural features. It also remains unclear whether residents of adjacent units were displaced by the fire.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, fire officials said. This is a developing story, and Hoodline will update it as the investigation continues.
