News City Hall Ravenswood

CFD: Man smoking with oxygen tank sparked fatal fire on NW Side

By Mitchell Armentrout

Firefighters clear the scene at a fatal house fire in Ravenswood Manor early Saturday. | Network Video Productions

An 83-year-old man died after being pulled from a fire at his Ravenswood Manor neighborhood home early Saturday on the Northwest Side.

Crews responded about 12:30 a.m. to the blaze in the 2900 block of West Giddings, and firefighters found Ibraham Fakhoury in the basement, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m., authorities said. An autopsy on Saturday did not immediately rule on the cause or manner of his death pending further investigation.

Fire officials said he had been smoking while using an oxygen tank, igniting the fire. It was put out in about 15 minutes.

Firefighters clear the scene at a fatal house fire in Ravenswood Manor early Saturday. | Network Video Productions

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