Evanston fire crews responding to a report of a fire on the third-floor of an apartment building at 1317 Oakton St. before dawn today found one person unconscious at the rear of the burning unit.
Fire Chief Brian Scott said firefighters performed CPR but had difficulty reviving the victim.
Update 10:13 a.m.: Fire Division Chief Paul Polep says the victim, a 65-year-old man who lived in the building, was pronounced dead at St. Francis Hospital.
The fire was first reported shortly after 5 a.m. Polep says the fire was contained to the third floor of the building, which has one unit on that floor, with another unit occupying the first and second floors.
Update 10:40 a.m.: Polep says firefighters found the victim in a bedroom adjacent to the room in which the fire started.
He says resident of the other unit in the building had gotten out before fire crews arrived and said smoke detectors had alerted them to the fire.
One firefighter was treated and released at Evanston Hospital for injuries sustained battling the fire.
Streets near the fire scene, just west of Asbury Avenue, were reopened to traffic about 7 a.m.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.