Firefighters responding to a rubbish fire found the body of a 62-year-old man with fatal burns at the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, the site where a fire ravaged a school, killing 92 children and three nuns in 1958.
At 3:05 p.m. Thursday, Chicago police officers and and firefighters were called to 3808 W. Iowa St., Mission of Our Lady of the Angels, for a rubbish fire and a tree that was on fire, according to the Chicago fire department and a Chicago police report.
The fire was out when firefighters got there, but a man, 62, who suffered burns from his knees through his upper torso, was pronounced dead on the scene at 3:15 p.m. in a courtyard of the property near the rectory, officials said.
Witnesses familiar with the man from prior encounters at the location identified him and Ring doorbell video showed him walking into the courtyard alone earlier in the day prior to the incident, according to the police report.
His name was not being formally released and an autopsy is scheduled, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A statement from the Achdiocese of Chicago expressed condolences but referred questions about the victim to Chicago police.
“We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate the death of a man near the Mission,” the statement said. “We will continue to pray for the repose of his soul and for the health and safety of all members of our community,” the statement said.
Area 4 detectives are investigating.