Two people are dead and one remains hospitalized after a fire engulfed the roof of a west suburban Maywood home early Wednesday morning, fire officials said.
Two people rescued from the home, at 809 S. 16th St., were taken to Loyola Medical Center. One woman, whom a neighbor identified as Gayle Moss, was pronounced dead at the hospital before 6 a.m.
Jesse Washington said he saw his neighbor, Robert Moss, being rescued from the front porch roof after screaming for help. Moss is in the burn unit at the hospital and is expected to survive.
"His daughter woke him up and pushed the air conditioner out the window. His daughter wasn't behind him, so he sat on the roof until the ambulance came," Moss' son, Roderick Moss, told NBC Chicago outside the charred home. "He was on the roof, screaming for help."
Robert Moss' wife, Ann Moss, who'd been bedridden with Alzheimer's disease for the last four years, was found dead in the home.
The fire broke out just before 5 a.m., and by 5:30 a.m., the second floor of the house was engulfed.
Reports indicate parts of the roof collapsed and power lines were down in the backyard. Photos show significant damage to the back and sides of the house.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said autopsies will be performed Thursday.
