Fire kills Chicago boy after he and siblings left alone

CHICAGO (AP) - A 6-year-old boy died in a fire in a home on Chicago's South Side on Wednesday night after he and four other children were left there alone, authorities said.

According to the Chicago Fire Department, firefighters were called to the home by a neighbor who noticed the fire at about 9:45 on Wednesday night. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, they found 6-year-old Ron Johnson in a second floor bunkbed where the fire apparently started, spokesman Larry Langford said.

The boy who had burns over much of his body was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later, authorities said. They said the boy's four siblings, ages 1, 4, 5 and 13, were also home but were not injured.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, Langford said.

The police department is also investigating, according to a spokesman. And the Illinois Department of Children and Family Service spokesman Bill McCaffrey said the agency is investigating. He said the agency has had contact with the family before, but would not elaborate. He did not immediately know if the other children are in DCFS custody.