Police are investigating whether a carbon monoxide leak led to the deaths of two people in West Rogers Park.
The family of a 77-year-old woman and her 18-year-old granddaughter are in shock after the two died Sunday in their West Rogers Park apartment building as authorities investigate whether a carbon monoxide leak is to blame.
Rasheeda Akhter was pronounced dead at 11:14 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Her granddaughter, Zanib Ahmed, died at 9 p.m., according to the medical examiner's office.
"Our family is going through a tough time, they were very good people," said a relative who did not give his name. "We were up all night."
Paramedics were first called about 10:30 a.m. Sunday to the building in the 2500 block of West North Shore Avenue to transport one woman to the hospital, Chicago Fire Department spokeswoman Meg Ahlheim said.
The woman was taken in cardiac arrest to Swedish Covenant Hospital, Ahlheim said.
Fire officials at the scene called for a second ambulance, and another woman was taken to Swedish Covenant as well.
Both women died at the hospital.
Back at the building, fire officials checked the carbon monoxide levels but found no indication of a leak, Ahlheim said.
Paramedics were called back to the scene, however, about 3:45 p.m. for another woman found unresponsive. She was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in critical condition, Ahlheim said.
Officials checked carbon monoxide levels again, and while the meter readings in residential units did not indicate a leak, officials found a positive reading for a low level of carbon monoxide near a boiler in the basement, Ahlheim said.
Police suspect the deaths were caused by accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, but no official determination will be made until autopsy results are reported, Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer said.
A spokeswoman for Peoples Gas, Jennifer Block, said representatives from the company were called to the building to assist police and fire officials. She referred further questions to the police and fire departments.
asege@tribune.com
chicagobreaking@tribune.com
Twitter: @AdamSege
2 killed in West Rogers Park in possible carbon monoxide leak
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2 killed in West Rogers Park in possible carbon monoxide leak
