Molotov cocktails allegedly sparked fire in Austin that killed child, newspaper editor, alderperson says

In an apparent jealous rage, a man allegedly hurled two Molotov cocktails into a three-story commercial and residential building in Austin, igniting a fire early Thursday that left four people, including a 5-year-old and a beloved newspaper editor, dead, officials said.

West Side Ald. Emma Mitts (37th), whose ward includes the fire scene, flatly declared the fire an “arson.” Mitts told the Sun-Times it was triggered by “domestic violence” between a “young man and his girlfriend or ex-girlfriend.”

“They had been arguing earlier and, the next thing you know, he was there at the building throwing a Molotov cocktail in the front, then one at the back door,” Mitts said.

“He threw the first one, then another one. So they were trapped. They never had a chance except to come out through the windows. That’s why they say they were jumping out of windows.”

Mitts said she has never seen a more gut-wrenching or horrific scene.

“It’s something that could have been avoided. I don’t know what goes through people’s head. They should be locked up and the key thrown away behind all of that,” Mitts said.

Chicago police are following leads but have no suspect in custody in the blaze at 5222 W. North Ave.

“They know who he is, and they’re looking for him. They’ve got some intel on where he’s at,” Mitts said.

The body of a fourth unidentified person, an adult, was recovered Friday, Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said.

A 5-year-old boy, a 32-year-old woman and a 76-year-old man also died in the fire, Chicago police said.

Their names are not being released because two victims’ next of kin have not yet been notified and the third and fourth remain unidentified, according to a spokesperson for the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

‘He loved doing things in the community’

According to Mitts, one of the victims was Brad Cummings, a newspaper editor for The Voice Newspapers.

Mitts described Cummings as “color-blind” and said he worked tirelessly to make Austin a better place.

“Brad was white, but he was like a Black person. You’d get in a room with him and he would talk like he was a Black person. Sometimes, we’d have to tell him, ‘Brad, you’re white. You’ve said enough.’ It was a joke,” Mitts said. “He never worried about colors. It didn’t mean nothing.”

Mitts said it’s impossible to underestimate the loss of such an indefatigable community anchor. It would be “felt by everybody” because there was “nobody who didn’t know” Brad Cummings or benefit from his outreach and good works, she said.

“Brad was someone who loved to work with folks. He loved doing things in the community. He was a very hard worker. I don’t know if he got any sleep with all the work that he would do,” Mitts said.

A representative for The Voice could not immediately be reached for comment.

One neighbor, who declined to give her name, said Cummings was very pleasant, and that she would often see him cleaning around the apartment complex.

“I hate to hear that he passed,” the neighbor, 75, said. “To just take lives, it’s pathetic. It’s just from one thing to another,” she added. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘God, are you looking at this?’”

Just before 2 a.m., the Chicago Fire Department responded to reports of a blaze in the rear of a building at 5222 W. North Ave.

Twelve ambulances arrived, and residents were rescued from windows on the second and third floors, Langford said.

Four adults and two children, including a 4-year-old boy in critical condition, were initially taken to two nearby hospitals, Langford and police said.

Police said immediately as the fire got underway, two investigations were opened — a death investigation and an arson case.

Police did not release details about why they thought foul play was suspected.

The roof of the building was removed Thursday morning during the search for the person who was still missing. Fire officials suspended the search in the evening.

Carl Baldwin, 61, began to tear up Friday looking at the scorched building.

Baldwin, who grew up in Austin and now lives closer to Humboldt Park, said the area had changed over the years but that the building was always well taken care of.

“This took away a lot of memories,” he said. “People need to think twice before making a decision. Some human beings don’t care about themselves, and when they don’t care, the results aren’t good for other people.”

Victor Delfi has lived across the street for eight years. After hearing what sounded like seven gunshots, Delfi said he looked out his window and saw the building ablaze.

“The eight years that I’ve lived here, or matter of fact, in the 66 years that I’ve been alive, I’ve never seen nothing like this,” Delfi said.

He immediately began taking videos of the fire. He said he knew two of the women who died in the fire in passing and that this fire is “scary” for the community.