Investigators still looking for cause of deadly Chicago fire

CHICAGO – A Chicago Fire Department official says the cause of the apartment fire that claimed the lives of 10 children remains a mystery.

Spokesman Larry Langford said the fire has been classified as “undetermined” but the department hopes an analysis by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives may provide clues as to how Sunday’s pre-dawn fire on the city’s Southwest Side started. He says investigators are also analyzing photographs of the building and the porch that were taken last year when firefighters extinguished a fire on the first floor.

Investigators have ruled out arson but they are trying to determine if it was caused by someone on the porch who set off fireworks or left behind a burning cigarette.