Neighbors remembered the grandmother, mother and two sons as longtime, active members of their North Side community.
CHICAGO, IL — Four members of one family, including a 13-year-old boy, died Thursday after an early-morning fire swept through their Rogers Park townhome, leaving neighbors mourning a family they had known for years as investigators worked to determine how the blaze began.
The fire broke out about 4:14 a.m. Nov. 5 in the 7000 block of North Paulina Street, near Greenleaf Avenue, according to the Chicago Fire Department. Firefighters found four people in critical condition and transported them to area hospitals, where all four were later pronounced dead, Chicago police said. Relatives and neighbors said the victims were a grandmother, her daughter and the daughter’s two sons.
The youngest victim was 13. Authorities and relatives gave different ages Thursday for two of the adult victims. Police initially listed the victims as a 69-year-old woman, a 46-year-old woman, a 22-year-old man and the 13-year-old boy. Later family information reported by ABC7 Chicago described the mother as 48 and her older son as 24. The Cook County medical examiner had not publicly released the victims’ identities as of Thursday night.
Neighbors described waking before dawn to smoke, flames and calls for help. Frank Adu, who lives nearby, said he smelled smoke, woke his family and went outside, where the fire was already too intense for neighbors to intervene. Adu said his family had known the victims for more than a decade and trusted them enough to leave their house keys with them during trips abroad. Other residents reported hearing screams and breaking glass as firefighters arrived.
Fire officials said the flames were contained to one townhome in a four-unit building. Crews brought the fire under control within minutes, and neighboring units were spared from the worst of the flames. Three people living in adjoining homes were displaced, according to reports from the scene. A pet also died in the fire. The American Red Cross was helping affected residents with immediate needs.
Relatives said the family had lived in the home since 2005 and was closely connected to the neighborhood. The mother taught classes at a nearby Catholic church, while her sons enjoyed gaming and going to movies together, according to family members. A delivery driver who had visited the home for years recalled the grandmother as someone who regularly greeted him warmly and made stops at the house memorable.
The deaths shook residents of Rogers Park, a Far North Side neighborhood where neighbors described the family as familiar and deeply rooted in the community. Ald. Maria Hadden, whose 49th Ward includes the area, called the fire a devastating loss. Residents gathered near the damaged building Thursday as investigators moved through the property and relatives and friends comforted one another.
Family members told ABC7 Chicago that the home had working smoke detectors and a fire extinguisher. Officials had not announced where inside the townhome the fire started or what caused it. Investigators remained at the scene Thursday, documenting the heavily damaged unit and examining the circumstances of the blaze. No finding of foul play had been announced.
Neighbors said the family’s deaths would leave a deep absence in a community where they had built relationships over many years. Residents were discussing ways to support surviving relatives and people displaced by the fire, while family members were working to establish a fundraiser. The cause of the fire remained under investigation Thursday night.
Author note: Last updated November 5, 2026.