Chicago, Illinois: Four Dead in Rogers Park Townhome Fire on North Paulina

Four people died early on Thursday, Nov. 5, after a fire tore through a townhome in the 7000 block of North Paulina in Rogers Park, on Chicago's North Side. Fire crews responded to the four-unit building before dawn, and officials said the flames were contained to one townhome in the building. FOX 32 Chicago reported the fire was brought under control at 4:14 a.m. and contained by about 4:37 a.m.

Screams woke the block

A neighbor who recently moved into the area told FOX 32 he was awakened by people screaming for help. "I woke up off my couch to people screaming for help," the neighbor said. "I heard 'ow' and 'help' and couldn't exactly determine what it was at first." The neighbor also described hearing glass breaking as the fire unfolded.

Other residents gathered outside as they tried to learn more about the people taken to the hospital and figure out their next steps. One neighbor said the residents of the affected townhome had recently celebrated Halloween together. Photos and video from the scene showed flames shooting out of the residence, with charred windows and doors, and officials described heavy damage to the one unit where the fire was contained.

Four people taken to hospitals died

Two men and two women were transported to area hospitals in critical condition, where they later died, officials said. Their identities have not yet been released by the Cook County medical examiner's office, and no names, ages or other details about the four were available in the reports published on Thursday morning.

One pet was also reported dead in the fire. Three additional people were displaced from neighboring units in the building, even though the flames themselves stayed inside the single townhome.

The cause is not yet known

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and officials said investigators are working to determine how the fire started. Officials were expected to provide updates as they confirm the casualties and the origin of the blaze, and the Chicago Fire Department offered a further update to reporters later on Thursday morning.

For the block, the questions that matter most are still open: who the four people were, how the fire began, and when the displaced neighbors can return to the units next door. Until the medical examiner releases the identities and investigators settle the cause, the fire on North Paulina stands as one of the deadliest residential fires in the city this year by the count in Thursday's reports: four people dead, three neighbors out of their homes, and one home in a four-unit building left heavily damaged.