Officials: 7 Dead In Illinois Apartment Fire

CICERO, Ill. – The death toll in this morning’s suburban Chicago apartment building fire has risen from four people to seven.

Officials say the victims include a newborn, a toddler and four teenagers. The seven may have been related.

The fire started around 6:30 a.m. and was extinguished in an hour. The death toll rose as investigators searched for victims in the charred remains of the three-story structure.

It’s unclear how many people had lived in the building, making it difficult to account for residents. A Cicero town spokesman says the number could be anywhere from 23 to 40 people.

He says the fire appears to have started in the building’s attic. The victims may have lived in the attic and on the second floor.

Three firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries fighting the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.