4-year-old girl killed in Aurora house fire identified

Authorities have identified the 4-year-old girl who was killed in an extra-alarm house fire that left an infant and two adults injured Wednesday afternoon in west suburban Aurora.

Ryan Elizabeth March was pronounced dead at 2:27 p.m. at the scene of the fire in the 1800 block of Carnation Court in Aurora, according to a statement from the Kane County coroner’s office.

The preliminary results of an autopsy conducted Friday indicated Ryan died of smoke inhalation, but additional toxicology testing is pending, the coroner’s office said.

Just before 2 p.m., firefighters responded to the blaze at a 4-unit townhouse and noticed a “large plume of smoke from several blocks away,” according to the Aurora Fire Department.

When fire crews arrived, they learned Ryan was trapped inside the burning home, authorities said. After encountering heavy smoke and fire, crews were forced to battle the blaze from outside before entering the home.

Ryan was later found dead at the scene, officials said.

The infant and a 25-year-old woman were outside the home when fire crews showed up. They both suffered smoke inhalation and burns and were rushed to a local hospital before being airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood for further treatment, the fire department said.

Additionally, a firefighter who was injured was treated and released from a hospital, the fire department said.

The blaze started in a first-floor living room and caused an estimated $500,000 in damages, the fire department said. The building was deemed uninhabitable.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.