LITTLE VILLAGE — The death toll from a Sunday morning fire rose to 10 after the last surviving victim of a house fire died Tuesday morning.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the last victim as 14-year-old Adrian Hernandez.
The 14- year old, who lived on the 1900 block of West Harrison Street, was transported to John H. Stroger Hospital following the deadly fire and listed in critical condition before dying at 11:12 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said.
Hernandez and 14-year-old Cesar Contreras were taken to the hospital following the fire. Contreras was pronounced dead Monday evening.
The tragedy unfolded overnight Sunday. Fire crews arrived at the fire in the 2200 block of South Sacramento at about 4 a.m. Sunday.
It began in the rear of the building and spread to the front. No smoke detectors were found in the building, fire officials said.
The cause of the fire is not known yet, and the investigation is ongoing.
All of those killed in the fire were children, Chicago Fire Deputy District Chief Walter Schroeder said Monday morning. Ald. George Cardenas (12th) said the victims were children and teenagers as old as 16 years old.
“One of the biggest things, I want this to never happen again and whatever we have to do on our end to make sure it does not happen again,” Cardenas said. “As we move forward, we need the community to come together and heal. That’s what we are focused on right now.”
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s identified has identified five of the 10 victims Tuesday as 3-month old Amaya Almaraz, 10 year-old Giovanni Monarrez, 16-year-old Victor Mendoza and 14-year-old Cesar Contreras.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.