Man killed in East Garfield Park house fire identified

Authorities have identified the 85-year-old man who died in a fire early Friday in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side.

Crews responded at 1:37 a.m. to the blaze at the home in the 500 block of North Ridgeway, according to the Chicago Fire Department. It was extinguished by about 3:30 a.m.

William Samuel Jackson was found inside the home and pronounced dead at the scene, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy Friday found that Jackson died from inhalation of products of combustion in the fire, with heart disease listed as a contributing factor, the medical examiner’s office said. His death was ruled an accident.

The fire appears to be accidental, according to CFD spokesman Larry Langford.