The Des Plaines Fire Department is investigating a space heater as the possible cause of a fire that killed four young girls and their mother Wednesday morning as the department also found the family was likely trapped because the fire started at their unit’s only exit and there were no smoke detectors on their floor, officials said.
The building had a long history of property maintenance code enforcement violations, the city also said in a news release.
The fire started about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday in a two-story frame apartment building at 714 W. Oakton St. in the northwest suburb. Preliminary investigation showed that the fire started at the top of the stairs into a second-floor unit, which is the only entry and exit to the unit, the fire department wrote in a release Thursday. There were no smoke detectors on the second floor, where the family was found, officials said.
Des Plaines fire possibly started by space heater trapped, killed mom, 4 girls in unit with no smoke detectors, officials say
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Des Plaines investigates space heater as cause of fire that killed 5; family was trapped in unit with no smoke detectors, officials say
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