Man, 68, dies in University Village fire

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 68-year-old man was died in a fire at a gated apartment complex in the University Park neighborhood early Friday.

Fire officials said the fire broke out just after 12:30 a.m. in the 1100-block of South Laflin Street in one of the homes at Circle Park apartments. The fire started in the kitchen and firefighters found a man in a closet on the third floor.

"If somebody's there on the third floor, he should really run fast to get out of the house as soon as possible," said neighbor Shubhan Sirothia.

The man was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Firefighters said he died of smoke inhalation.

Neighbors who spoke with ABC7 Eyewitness News didn't know the man, but are shocked. Many of them didn't even hear the sirens.

"I think it's a call for all of us to be very careful wherever you are living in this complex because if it could happen to him, it could happen to anybody," neighbor James Appiah said.

"My heart goes out his family and I hope that they can repair themselves from this event," neighbor Emily Montgomery said.

Chicago Fire Department investigators still don't know how it started.

"We need to figure out a place to minimize this situation so that it doesn't happen in the future," Sirothia said.

Firefighters returned to the scene later Friday to hand out smoke detectors and information.