Homeless Man Taken in by Family Killed in Northwest Side Fire, Homeowners Say

An overnight fire left a person dead Monday at a home on Chicago’s Northwest Side and a Chicago family says the man killed was a homeless man they took in during a time of need.

Chicago fire officials said they received a called just after 3 a.m. reporting a fire in the 4700 block of North Harding in the city’s Albany Park neighborhood. Heavy flames were seen in the home’s attic when officials arrived. 

A man in his 20s was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital in critical condition and was later pronounced dead, officials said. 

Homeowners said they had taken in a homeless man, who was a friend of their son's and had hit hard times. The man had been living in their attic, where the fire started. His identity was not being released as of early Monday morning.

"It's really, really sad," said neighbor Penny Phung. "He's a really nice guy."

Chicago fire officials said the cause of the fire was electrical. An investigation remained ongoing.

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