Fire kills one, injures 11 at Chicago apartment complex

By Karen Brooks (Reuters) - One person died and 11 more were injured, including five children, in a Chicago apartment complex fire early Sunday, according to fire officials and local media. Authorities would not release details on the person who died, but local NBC television station WMAQ in Chicago reported that the victim was a 10-year-old boy. The victim was found dead on the fourth floor, while five children and six adults were hospitalized, Juan Hernandez, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman, told Reuters. The injuries that included cuts and broken legs, WMAQ reported. The cause of the fire at a complex in Hollywood Park, in the northwestern part of the city, was still under investigation, Hernandez said. The blaze began at 3 a.m. local time (CST) and was extinguished at 6:39 a.m. local time (CST), though firefighters were still on the scene controlling “hot spots” hours later, Hernandez said. Several people jumped from windows to escape the blaze, the station reported. "It's most traumatic for all of us," Chicago Fire Deputy Chief Anthony Vasquez told the station. "It makes it difficult for us to go home and look at our children." No information was available on how many apartments were involved in the blaze, but Hernandez said several units in the U-shaped building were involved. Officials said they planned to hand out fire alarms and fire safety pamphlets to neighborhood residents later in the day, Hernandez Fire officials did hear alarms when they arrived on scene, but are still investigating whether all the apartments were equipped, Hernandez said. (Reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; Editing by Tom Heneghan)