The victims were a 69-year-old woman, a 46-year-old woman, a 22-year-old man, and 13-year-old Valentino Vallejo, an eighth-grade student at Kilmer International Academy. The family's 4-year-old Labradoodle named Remi also died. The three adults were found unresponsive at about 4:15 a.m. in a two-story house on North Paulina Street and taken to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead. The adults' names were not immediately released, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Neighbor Elise Adu, who lives two floors below where the fire started, said she was awakened by the family shouting from their window for help. She told her parents they needed to call 911 and, after they got out, went to wake other neighbors. She said she had seen the family daily and often left them her keys when she traveled. She remembered thinking that if anyone was still inside, they would not survive.
Angelita Sanchez, a relative, organized a GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral expenses. As of Friday, it had raised more than $84,000. The campaign description said there are no words to describe the pain of losing four loved ones at once.
Principal Natalie Rodriguez of Kilmer International Academy notified families by email, saying the school was devastated by the loss and would provide grief counseling and other support. She said funeral information would be shared when available.
Alderwoman Maria Hadden said the building was well-constructed and had firewalls, which she said was one reason the fire did not spread. She said there was no indication the fire was intentionally set. The cause remains under investigation. Hadden said neighbors in the units on either side were temporarily displaced and staying with relatives.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement that the fire was a devastating tragedy and that his administration would work to ensure those affected had access to support and resources.
Many grieving neighbors and relatives gathered at the scene, some too distraught to speak.