CHICAGO — Three children have now died following a fire in West Humboldt Park over the weekend.
On Sunday, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified 5-year-old Aiden Cruz as the victim of a fire that broke out in a home in the 4000 block of West Potomac Avenue around midnight on Chicago’s West Side.
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On Monday, WGN News learned that two more children had died.
Coroners identified the deceased as Jayden Cruz, 6, and Angel Rodriguez, 11. Officials said on Sunday that the victims all suffered from smoke inhalation.
Two adults were also hospitalized and reported to be in good condition.
Fire officials say the fire started in the basement of a brick two-story flat.
The news comes as community members gathered together at a West Humboldt Park garden to pay tribute to the lost young lives.
Larry Walker said he had just returned home from work when he realized his neighbors were in trouble.
“I heard screaming and I ran out the house and I asked the person, ‘what’s wrong?’ She said, ‘my kids, my kids,'” Walker said. “I was only able to get one kid out of the house, the 4-year-old. But when I got him out the house, he was pronounced dead. The other three, I couldn’t get them out the house. I tried. But I did what I (could). I wish I would’ve done better.”