9th child dies after Little Village fire; investigators examine fireworks, smoking materials as potential causes
Nine people, identified by relatives as children, were killed in an extra-alarm fire early the morning of Aug. 26, 2018, in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood.
Elvia Malagon, Elyssa Cherney and Morgan Greene Chicago Tribune
Investigators were examining forensic evidence Monday to determine whether a blaze on Chicago’s West Side that authorities say killed nine children was started on an enclosed porch by fireworks or smoking materials, such as a cigarette, according to a fire official.
Cesar Contreras, 14, originally survived the fire Sunday but died Monday evening at Stroger Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. One other 14-year-old boy remains hospitalized. Officials said his condition was too critical for investigators to interview him about what happened.
There was evidence of both fireworks and smoking materials at the scene, said Larry Langford, Chicago Fire Department spokesman. Officials have ruled out electrical problems at the Little Village residence as a possible fire source based on the findings of an engineer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, he said.
ATF referred questions about the blaze to the Chicago Fire Department.
Once a cause is determined, Langford said investigators will look at whether the fire was an accident or intentionally set.
Firefighters were called just before 4 a.m. Sunday to the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue. Officials believe the fire started in an enclosed porch at the back of the rear building, Langford said.
Relatives said all nine who died ranged from 3 months to 16 years old, most of whom were first cousins.
Krystle Sauseda, 31, said she is an aunt to many of the victims. The cousins included: Amayah Almaraz, 3 months old; Alanni Ayala, 3; Gialanni Ayala, 5; Ariel Garcia, 5; Giovanni Ayala, 10; Xavier Contreras, 11; Nathan Contreras, 13; and Cesar Contreras, 14. Victor Mendoza, 16, a close family friend, also died in the fire.
On Monday, the medical examiner’s office performed autopsies on eight of the victims. In each case, the cause and manner of death were listed as pending.
Authorities had initially reported that at least one of those injured in the fire was an adult.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is investigating allegations of neglect involving the children, Alissandra Calderon, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in an email. The agency had prior contact with three families involved in the fire, but none were under investigation at the time of the fire, said Calderon, who refused to say what the results of the agency’s prior investigations were.
As the vigil resumed Monday evening on Sacramento Avenue, at least 200 people mingled on the block, with police standing watch on the north and south ends. Red and white candle wax spilled onto the sidewalk, hardening as it pooled.
Several boys and Benny Estrada leaned against a silver Acura SUV parked alongside a row of white crosses surrounded by flickering candles and commemorative tokens, talking about their friend, Xavier Contreras.
"We were at Limas Park — did I show you this?" Estrada asked the boys. They crowded together to look at his phone.
"He finally did it!" one of the boys said, grinning wide.
On the screen, in a white T-shirt and gray joggers, the 11-year-old Xavier sat in a swing, gripping its chains, his legs pumping against a dark sky. He swung back and forth, gaining momentum. Then he flipped, his black sneakers rotating over his head. Midair, he let go of the swing, his legs coming back underneath his body as he landed on his feet. His palms touched the ground for just a second as he stumbled forward, but he didn't fall.
Days before his death, at a community barbecue at the park at Trumbull Avenue and 24th Street, Xavier mastered the trick he'd been working on over the summer. Seeming confident, he asked Estrada to record the attempt, Estrada said.
"He's like, 'Record me, record me,' " Estrada said. "I told him not to hit his head."
Along a fence bordering the sidewalk hung posters, photographs and shiny balloons spelling out the children's names. Messages of love and memories decorated the posters.
"We love you watch over us," read one.
"I remember all the fun times we had together," read another.
And, "I (heart) you best friend."
A man walks by a memorial with images of victims on an iron gate on Aug. 27, 2018, in front of a vacant house near where nine were killed in a house fire in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Fire investigators who have been combing the scene have found no evidence of smoke detectors where the children were sleeping, Langford said.
“Had there been working smoke detectors, the death toll would have been less or nonexistent,” he said.
Alice Gutierrez, who is related to the owner of the building, said the owner is seeking an attorney because he had installed smoke detectors in the apartment about four months ago.
The home had two bedrooms, but some of the children were asleep in the living room area, Langford said. Some of the children lived in the home, while others were visiting for a sleepover. No one was found on the porch.
Multiple detectives have been assigned to the “death investigation” because of the number of victims.
Chicago firefighters pass out smoke detectors on Aug. 27, 2018, to nearby residents following the fatal fire in the 2200 block of Sacramento Avenue in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Public records show a history of poor conditions at the Sacramento property.
Tenants have filed multiple complaints with the city’s 311 service since at least 2015 over problems with bedbugs, doors falling off hinges and sinking floors, records show.
One complaint from October 2015 said, “RATS AND BED BUGS IN COACH HOUSE AND THE LANDLORD WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT."
Records show that matter led to a hearing, but information on the results of the hearing wasn’t immediately available.
Separately, the city sent a notice of violation to the property owner in August 2015 over a complaint that said an apartment was "infested with bed bugs, doors are falling off the hinges, tile coming up off the kitchen floor," records show.
A memorial of crosses, candles, flowers and balloons is growing Aug. 27, 2018, near the site of the fatal fire in the 2200 block of Sacramento Avenue. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Last year, complaints about bedbugs and other unsafe conditions in May and August were closed by city inspectors, who did not find any violations, records show.
Most recently, the property came to the city’s attention in June when a tenant complained, said Gregg Cunningham, a spokesman for the city’s Buildings Department.
The department inspected the building June 8 and found two electrical code violations, Cunningham said.
One of the violations was for an extension cord that ran from the rear building to the main apartments, according to the city’s legal filings. The other was for electrical grounding that caused a basement tenant to get shocked from a tub faucet, the filings said.
That case was set for a court date in late September.
The landlord, records show, also owns at least one more apartment in Little Village, for which he's also been disciplined. In 2014, the city issued violations for a unit in the 2300 block of South Drake Avenue that didn't have a carbon monoxide detector, was kept at low temperatures, didn't have a working space heater and didn't have hot water, court records show.
In response, a court-ordered heat receiver made more than $2,000 worth of repairs to the apartment, which the landlord paid for.
The owner has been "cooperative" in addressing previous violations, according to a city spokesperson.
Several community groups have created fundraising campaigns to help the family. Enlace Chicago created an online campaign fund for the family and is collecting items at 2329 S. Troy St., and 2756 S. Harding Ave.
emalagon@chicagotribune.com
echerney@chicagotribune.com
mgreene@chicagotribune.com