Person dies almost three weeks after Des Plaines fire

DES PLAINES (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A person has died of complications from an apartment fire that happened last month in northwest suburban Des Plaines.

The fire happened about 7:30 a.m. Nov. 25 in the 1600 block of Oakton Street in Des Plaines, according to the Des Plaines Fire Department.

The victim, whose name and age were not immediately available, died of complications from inhalation of products of combustion and the death was ruled an accident, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

One other person was injured and several cats died in the fire, according to the fire department.

Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and fire in the building, which includes a barbershop in front and apartments in the back, Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax told reporters at the scene.

The fire was extinguished in “just a few minutes,” according to Wax.

Firefighters found one person inside the building during a search, and a second person managed to get out of the building before crews arrived, Wax said. They were both treated by paramedics before being transported to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

There were also multiple animals inside the building, Wax said. Four cats and a dog were rescued, and multiple others left the building on their own. However, several cats were trapped inside and died in the fire.

One cat was taken to an animal hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, while the others were being cared for by neighbors, according to Wax. The building was left uninhabitable.