Aug
6
Boy killed in late night fire in Little Village
Filed Under EN
A young boy who a family member said had autism was killed late Sunday night in a house fire in the Little Village neighborhood, authorities said.
Firefighters discovered the boy, 11, near the entrance of a kitchen on the first floor of the home in the 2400 block of South Lawndale Avenue, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
The victim was identified as Sergio Pedroza, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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Boy killed in Little Village fire
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2400 S Lawndale Ave, Chicago, IL 60623, USA
Salvador Pedroza, Sergio’s uncle and godfather, said the boy was active and did well in school. Sergio had autism, Salvador Pedroza said, and was limited in speech but not affection.
“He gave you a hug everytime you’d see him,” his uncle said.
Juana Galicia, a longtime neighbor of the Pedrozas, also remembered Sergio’s hugs.
Just last Friday, Galicia said, young Sergio was on a walk with his mother when he saw Galicia.
“Juanita, Juanita,” Sergio yelled, running up to embrace his neighbor, whom he had known his whole life.
Last night, Sergio’s mother was on the porch when the flames broke out, Salvador Pedroza said. She tried to get back in, but couldn’t.
Galicia saw Leticia Pedroza run down the street screaming, “Mi niño, mi niño,” which translates to, “My boy. My boy.”
Fire crews arriving at about 10:30 p.m. found heavy fire on the first floor of the 2½-story brick home, said fire spokeswoman Meg Ahlheim.
Firefighters were able to keep the flames confined to the first floor through an aggressive water attack, she said.
Margarita Avila lived on the second floor of the brick home with her husband. He woke her up last night as the flames rose. The two made it to a back window, where firefighters took them down to safety.
Avila was out of the hospital Monday and staying at Galicia’s home. With a bandages still on her arm and a hospital band around her wrist, Avila cried softly remembering Sergio.
In addition to the boy, one person inside the multi-unit structure was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for minor injuries, Ahlheim confirmed. Three other occupants refused medical treatment.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze less than an hour after it started. Firefighters find no working smoke detectors in the home, Ahlheim said.
The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.
chicagobreaking@tribune.com
Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking
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