Illinois apartment fire kills 5-year-old boy, elderly man

CICERO, Ill. (AP) - A wind-driven fire swept through a suburban Chicago apartment early Tuesday, killing a 5-year-old boy and his grandfather who apparently became trapped by flames on the building's second-floor.

Cicero Fire Chief Dominick Buscemi said about 60 firefighters were called to the two-story apartment building just after midnight amid reports that two people were trapped inside. Firefighters found the back of the building, including its back porch, on fire and fanned by strong winds, so they entered through the building's front.

Crews found the bodies of the man and the boy in a second-floor apartment. They were identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as David Castellanos and David Castellanos III.

'œYou don't want to have any fires, but when you have fatalities that involve a child, it hits home,'ť Buscemi said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation but strong winds are believed to have played a role in increasing the strength and size of the blaze, he said.