April 13--Two young boys were critically injured and 22 people were displaced after a fire in suburban Kankakee early Wednesday, officials said.
The blaze broke out just before 2 a.m. in a building in the 800 block of West Station Street that housed businesses and eight apartment units.
Two boys were airlifted in critical condition to burn units at hospitals in Chicago: a 2-year-old who went to Loyola University Medical Center and a 4-year-old who went to Comer Children's Hospital.
Three adults also were hospitalized. A 25-year-old man jumped from the second floor to escape and also suffered burns. A 55-year-old woman was being treated for smoke inhalation and a 22-year-old woman was taken to a hospital for burns on her hands.
A firefighter suffered minor burns and was treated at the scene.
The fire started in the back of the building, where there is a laundry room and a storage area.
In total, eight children and 14 adults were displaced because of the fire. Rescues were made from the back of the building, because the fire blocked one possible route of escape, officials said.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
