2 TEENS CHARGED IN FATAL SOUTH SIDE FIRE
Two teenagers were charged Monday with arson and murder in connection with the Friday fire on the South Side that killed one woman and injured 12 other people.
The fire, at 7108 S. Rhodes Ave., broke out at about 10:30 p.m. in a three-story courtyard apartment building, said fire department spokesman Max Walchuk. Zulean Wilson, 68, was found in her third-floor apartment clutching a cellular phone and a flashlight, he said.
Two youths, ages 13 and 14, were arrested Saturday after police recovered a gas can at the scene, said Detective Ross Horne. One of the juveniles admitted having the can and pouring gas on the building, Horne said.
The juveniles told police they set the fire because building residents had called police several times and were affecting drug trafficking in the area, said Patti Simone, spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney.
The teens are scheduled for a Tuesday hearing to decide if they will be tried as adults, Simone said.
