Two Men Found Dead After Apparent Arson Fire In Garfield Ridge
UPDATED: 3:18 p.m.
(CBS) -- Two men are dead in a fire in the Southwest Side Garfield Ridge neighborhood that appears to be the work of an arsonist.
Neighbors on the 5200 block of South Lorel Avenue describe a household in which fighting, arguing and screaming were common among themselves, with neighbors and with outsiders. The latest intervention by police was five hours before the fire, around 4 a.m. Saturday. WBBM learned that detectives seized cell phones amid reports that threats were texted.
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Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford says a 26-year-old man was found dead near a second-floor window; and a 63-year-old man was found dead in a rear bedroom.
Langford said firefighters responded around 9:40 a.m. to the first units to respond found the two-story frame house fully involved.
A State Fire Marshal's dog, specially trained to detect signs of arson, indicated accelerants were used on at least two, if not all four sides of the house, at 5209 South Lorel. Police evidence technicians have seized gas cans found outside and are bringing out other potential evidence in bags.
No working smoke detectors were found in the home.
