Two toddlers killed in house fire identified

Two children are dead following a house fire in South suburban Hickory Hills.

Hickory Hills police Sgt. Ervin Weesit says the boys were found in a second-floor bedroom. They were taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where they died.

The victims were identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as 3-year-old Raed Saleh and 4-year-old Ayob Saleh.

Roberts Park Fire Protection District Chief Jeffrey Ketchen says the house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived Wednesday afternoon. The children’s mother was outside the house when emergency crews arrived.

Ketchen said authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, but it appears it started in a first-floor family room.