Joliet fire victim identified
By Brian StANLEY Bstanley@stmedianetwork.com May 18, 2012 3:10PM
Updated: July 1, 2012 12:09PM
JOLIET TOWNSHIP — An autopsy determined the 2-year-old boy who was killed in a house fire Thursday died from smoke inhalation.
The Will County coroner’s office said DNA tests will be needed to confirm the victim’s identity, but sheriff’s reports tentatively identified him as Christopher Hernandez.
Firefighters arrived around 1:15 p.m. Thursday to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the second floor of a residence in the 1300 block of Sterling Avenue.
A woman who had been in the house was able to escape the flames, reports said.
No one else was injured in the blaze, but a relative of the victim was hospitalized after collapsing at the scene. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Will County Sheriff’s police and state fire marshal.
