One dead, three injured in apartment fire

A man was killed and three people were injured yesterday in an apartment fire on the city's North Side.

Fire Department Commander Will Knight says the fire at the three-story building was reported just after 9:30 p.m. last night and firefighters were on the scene two minutes later.

Firefighters rescued three victims from the third floor via ladder. Three of the victims suffered burn injuries, and all four suffered from smoke inhalation.

A spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office says man in his 50s was pronounced dead at Swedish Covenant Hospital. The victim's identity was not immediately released.

District Chief Steven Bates says the fire started in a third-floor hallway. Smoke detectors were seen in the building, but none appeared to be working.