Ravenswood house fire leaves man dead, Chicago police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A person injured in a fire in the Ravenswood neighborhood Thursday has died, Chicago police said.

Chicago fire crews battled a house fire in the 5100-block of North Oakley Avenue around 5:30 p.m. Massive flames and a substantial amount of smoke taking over several blocks in the neighborhood.

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The man was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, Chicago fire officials on the scene said. The fire department told ABC7 he was trapped in the attic of the home.

The man has been identified to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as 81-year-old Jose Alcazar.

The fire spread quickly in the two-story apartment duplex.

"Truck 47 arrived on scene to find a tremendous amount of fire in the second floor," CFD Deputy District Chief Kelly Burns said. "The alarm office was notified someone was trapped in the attic of the apartment."

Firefighters also faced some problems with how close the homes are to each other on the block of North Oakley Avenue.

"Anytime the houses are that close together with that volume of fire, you really have a major concern of fire extension," Burns said.

Two families are now displaced from the home.

No firefighters were injured.

It was not immediately clear how the fire started.