A 60-year-old handicapped man was killed in a fire Tuesday morning in his south suburban Harvey apartment.
Raymond Lee suffered third-degree burns and died in a fire at his home at 15833 Lexington Ave. in Harvey, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office, which said he was pronounced dead at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey at 12:45 a.m.
The fire started in the kitchen of Lee's unit of the apartment building sometime before 1 a.m., Harvey city spokeswoman Sandra Alvarado said. A wheelchair was found in Lee's unit, and he was possibly handicapped.
No other injuries were reported in the fire, which was mostly contained to Lee's unit of the 5-unit apartment building, Alvarado said. The rest of the building's residents evacuated safely. The fire was extinguished by 1:20 a.m.
The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago was notified but as of 6:30 a.m. had been unable to make contact with the family or families affected by the fire, according to spokeswoman Maria Corral.
No working smoke detectors were found in the building, Alvarado said.
Families or individuals needing assistance after a fire can call the Red Cross any time at (312) 729-6100, Corral said.
