Man Dies in Apartment Fire on Near West Side

1512735587-santatowneast.JPG?crop=faces,top&fit=crop&q=35&auto=enhance&w=300&h=300&fm=jpg
Chicago Fire Department

A man was found dead in an apartment during a fire Sunday morning on the Near West Side.

James Depriest, 50, was found inside the apartment in the 2700 block of West Wilcox Street about 1:05 a.m., Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

About 15 minutes later, two Chicago police officers were hospitalized and a woman was critically injured Sunday morning in another fire about 14 miles southeast in South Chicago on the Far South Side.

Officers responded to the fire inside a house in the 3000 block of East 79th Place about 1:20 a.m. and found a woman unresponsive, police said.

She was carried outside by officers, where they began chest compression, police said.

She was taken to Trinity Hospital, where she was in critical condition, officials said.

Two responding officers were taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation, police said. Both were in good condition, authorities said.

No other injuries were reported.

Fire officials extinguished both fires and were investigating the incidents.

Copyright Chicago Sun-Times
Contact Us