Woman’s death in January fire at Cabrini Green apartment ruled accidental

Authorities have determined that the death of a 57-year-old woman whose body was found following a Jan. 19 fire at a Cabrini Green apartment was accidental.

Carmen Johnson’s body was discovered after the fire was put out about 8:20 p.m. at the apartment in the 500 block of West Oak, according to the Chicago Fire Department and Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. She lived in the same block.

The fire had been contained to a single apartment, and the unit’s sprinklers and smoke detectors were working, the fire department said.

An autopsy the day after the fire did not immediately rule on her cause and manner of death pending futher investigation, the medical examiner’s office said.

The office has since determined that her cause of death was cardiovascular disease, with burns she suffered in the fire listed as a secondary cause. Her death was ruled an accident.