Baby Dies After Fall From 3rd Story in 'Suspicious' Apartment Fire: Update

CHICAGO, IL — A horrific fire tore through a courtyard apartment building overnight, killing four people, including a 3-month-old infant, two other children and an adult, on Chicago's South Side.

Two bodies of two girls, ages 4 and 7, were found in one third-floor apartment, and an adult male was found in an adjacent apartment, Deputy Fire Chief Arriel Gray said in a morning press conference from the scene at 8114 S. Essex Ave. in the South Shore neighborhood.

The children have been identified by family, according to WGN, as 3-month-old Melanie Watson, 4-year-old Madison Watson and 7-year-old Shaniya Staples.

The infant's body was found outside of the building alongside a man who jumped from a third-floor window.

Witnesses told the Tribune and WGN several people were seen jumping from upper floors of the building. Gray said the stairwells in the front and back of the building were "compromised by fire."

"The fire was suspicious in nature," Gray said, noting that Chicago Police and Chicago Fire arson investigators are on the scene.

One man was taken into custody, reports the Chicago Tribune. WGN reports a "person of interest" is being questioned Tuesday morning.

About 200 Chicago firefighters battled back the fire. The blaze quickly escalated into a three-alarm fire. When fire crews arrived, heavy fire was showing in the apartment building’s second and third stories, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

Fox Chicago News interviewed a woman who said a man came to her apartment and demanded she give him $10. When she wouldn't, she said, he set boxes outside her apartment on fire.

An adult male in his 30s was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and is in serious condition.

The fire was secured at 2:50 a.m. Firefighters remained on the scene throughout the night putting out hot spots, officials said. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries.

photos via Chicago Fire Department