A man being held in Cook County Jail died after a fire broke out in his cell Thursday evening, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.
About 7:15 p.m., officers responded to a fire inside the residential treatment unit of the jail at 2700 S. California Ave., according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
Officers extinguished the fire and escorted Martinez Duncan, 24, and his cellmate to a separate area for medical examinations, the sheriff’s office said.
Both men were able to walk there under their own power, but once inside the holding area Duncan became unresponsive, according to the sheriff’s office.
He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A preliminary review found the fire was caused by a lit wick, or “a smoldering portion of tightly wound toilet paper commonly used to smoke illegal drugs,” according to the sheriff’s office.
An autopsy was conducted Friday but a cause and manner of death is pending additional testing, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Duncan was in custody pending trial for allegedly stabbing a family member and a responding officer, according to court records.
The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force will conduct an independent investigation of the incident.
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