Body Discovered After Fire In Vacant West Garfield Park Building
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police have launched a death investigation after a body was discovered following a fire in a vacant building in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.
The fire took place around 4 p.m. Friday in a two-story building in the 4400 block of W. Congress Parkway. When the smoke and flames were cleared, first responders got an opportunity to get inside and made the discovery.
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Investigators were seen searching a vacant two story building around 9:30. CPD says during that effort they discovered a body in the basement and it's unclear if the death was caused by the blaze.
The medical examiner's officer telling us they are in the process of identifying a man's body.
Sheila Love lives next door and says it's not uncommon for some homeless people to spend time there and she says she's called both her alderman and the fire department in the past when they burn debris there to keep warm.
"It is very frustrating," Love said. "You can go downtown and picket but the aldermen can't even come over here and they know who owns the building. That's the killer part. They know who owns the building."
She believes that may be the case here, claiming city leaders knew about the issue and didn't do enough.
It's unclear if foul play was involved.
