May fire in Des Plaines was deliberately set by resident who later died, officials say

A May 6 fire at a Des Plaines condominium building was deliberately caused by a resident who later died from his injuries, authorities revealed Thursday.

They do not, however, know why Taner T. Bayramli, 36, set the fire on the 1200 block of Harding Avenue.

“That is definitely the question we all want to answer,” Des Plaines Police Chief David Anderson said during a news conference at city hall.

Bayramli poured gasoline in hallways, common areas and stairwells of the building before igniting the blaze shortly before 1 a.m., Des Plaines Fire Chief Matt Matzl said during the news conference. Investigators were unable to interview him before he died May 21 at Loyola University Medical Center’s burn unit.

But police and fire officials are confident Bayramli set the blaze. Surveillance video captured Bayramli filling a container with gasoline at a nearby station days before the fire, Matzl said, and accelerant was found on personal items.

Bayramli had moved many of his possessions into his car before starting the fire, Matzl said.

Additionally, other residents told investigators that Bayramli had been acting strangely before the fire, Anderson said.

Bayramli lived on the third floor of the three-story building, and that’s where the fire started, Matzl said.

Stairwells collapsed before firefighters arrived, trapping residents in the building. Firefighters rescued Bayramli and other residents from balconies using ladders.

In addition to Bayramli, two adults and four children were treated at hospitals. All but Bayramli eventually were released, Matzl said.

Fifteen people were evaluated at the scene and didn’t require hospitalization.

The blaze left all 12 units in the building uninhabitable.

Des Plaines firefighters and police, the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the fire.

Evidence of an accelerant was discovered by specially trained dogs and through laboratory analysis, Matzl said.

Bayramli lived alone. Relatives who live nearby were unable to help investigators determine why he set the blaze, Anderson said.

“(It’s) very frustrating,” Anderson said.

The fire remains under investigation. Authorities hope electronic evidence from Bayramli’s computer or phone may shed light on his motives.

Six days after the fire, Bayramli sued Nicor Gas and Tom Dase Management, the company that managed the building, alleging a natural gas leak and negligence contributed to the fire. But Matzl said neither company was responsible and a gas leak hadn’t been reported to the city before the fire.

Representatives of the law firm Bayramli hired to pursue the lawsuit couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.