Old Irving Park fire: Mom, son found dead in apartment fire likely caused by smoking materials tossed in a bin
CHICAGO - A mother and son were found dead in an apartment fire Tuesday morning in the Old Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.
The fire started around 2:30 a.m. in the 3600 block of North Kedvale Avenue across from St. Viator School.
Smoke could be seen coming from the first and second floors of the two flat.
Firefighters put out the fire fairly quickly, then discovered the bodies of the 88-year-old mother and the 70-year-old son on the first floor.
Fire investigators determined there were no working smoke detectors.
Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) said the building did not have a working furnace and the occupants might have been using multiple space heaters to keep warm, plus there was a hoarding situation.
All of those factors made a dangerous situation.
Officials believe the fire was likely caused by smoking materials tossed in a bin.
The mother and son were the only occupants of the building.
Their names have not been released.
In light of this tragedy, firefighters visited homes within a three-block radius, passing out educational materials about fire safety, along with smoke detectors.