Cecilia Reyes

Firefighters at the scene of the blaze in a courtyard apartment building.

The Failures Before the Fires: Read the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation

June 14, 2024 at 6:47 p.m.

This yearlong investigation, a collaboration between the Chicago Tribune and the Better Government Association, revealed that at least 61 people died in residential fires in Chicago where officials were aware...

Brickwork at the top of a building in the 3400 block of West Jackson Boulevard in East Garfield Park collapsed and fell on the porch below, causing the stone porch to collapse, said Larry Langford, spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department.

West Side building that partially collapsed, fatally crushing man and injuring 2 others, will be razed, city says

April 14, 2022 at 9:53 p.m.

The city of Chicago said Thursday the East Garfield Park neighborhood building with a history of code violations that collapsed Tuesday, killing one man and seriously injuring two others, will...

Fire aftermath in the Albany Park neighborhood on Feb. 21, 2022, includes damage at Ultimate Ninjas.

Albany Park fire that damaged Twisted Hippo and gym started near building with previous safety violations, records show

February 22, 2022 at 7:03 p.m.

When an extra-alarm blaze in Albany Park left one person seriously injured and destroyed a popular brewery Monday, embattled landlord Gary Carlson said he knew fingers would point toward his...

Phoenix McCray, 3, stands with her parents, Shalanda McCray, right, and Donald Akins, left, during the community march.

‘No Kids Die in the Chi’ march urges action on gun violence

December 31, 2021 at 10:39 p.m.

A small march on the South Side Friday aimed to draw attention to the growing number of Chicago children who have been shot amid a pandemic surge in gun violence....

The South Shore apartment building where Susan Brewer and Le'Denise Henderson face eviction.

Some people face eviction even after getting COVID-19 rental assistance. ‘Did this do what we thought it would do?’

December 28, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.

Tenants can once again apply for COVID-19 rental assistance, the latest wave of a $1 billion program that has sought to financially stabilize Illinois renters and landlords. But although the...

Mayor Lori Lightfoot put out a list of building safety ‘scofflaws.’ Only 98 properties are on it.

July 29, 2024 at 12:09 p.m.

Chicago's new "scofflaw list" of 98 unsafe buildings excludes hundreds of properties where city officials found life-threatening housing violations, an investigation by the Tribune and the Better Government Association has...

A rally to halt evictions caused by unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic at Daley Plaza outside eviction court in Chicago on Monday, August, 17, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)

CDC ban, state eviction moratorium: What’s next for Illinois renters?

August 31, 2021 at 3:23 p.m.

Update: On Aug. 30, the Illinois Supreme Court extended its deferral of judgements in eviction cases for covered individuals until Sept. 18. Our second summer in a pandemic is coming...

People attend a candlelight vigil for Yafet Solomon, 9, who died in a fire in the basement of 708 Kennedy St. in Washington, D.C., in 2019. The fatal fire prompted the city to clarify its standards for residential inspections.

Scheduled inspections. Licensing landlords. A ‘fix-it’ court. Here are 9 things Chicago could do to help keep renters safe from fires.

June 14, 2024 at 6:47 p.m.

In the late '90s, five children died in Los Angeles when a fire tore through an illegal garage apartment. Soon after, the mayor started one of the first programs in...

Buildings Commissioner Matthew Beaudet inspects a residential property with code violations March 3, 2021, in the Austin neighborhood.

Advocates to Lightfoot: Fatal fires investigation shows Chicago building safety policies need fixing

June 14, 2024 at 6:47 p.m.

Tenant advocates and public officials are calling on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to hold landlords more accountable and establish clear rules on how the city handles housing safety complaints after a...

Mourners line up outside Our Lady of Angels Church for the funeral for three nuns Dec. 4, 1958. Sisters Mary St. Canice Lyng, 44, Mary Seraphica Kelley, 43, and Mary Clare Therese Champagne, 26, died in the fire at Our Lady of the Angels grade school on Dec. 1 in Chicago.

Lessons unheeded: Over and over, Chicago fails to learn from fatal fires

June 14, 2024 at 6:47 p.m.

When a Chicago fire makes headlines, politicians often push for new safety standards. Sometimes these reforms made life safer, but frequently the city faltered in the face of opposition and...

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