18-year-old woman killed, man injured in Austin house fire

An 18-year-old woman was killed and a man was injured after a fire broke out in an Austin neighborhood home early Thursday.

Firefighters say the two were in the upstairs rooms of the home, located at the intersection of North Waller Avenue and West Iowa Street, when the blaze erupted, likely in the attic, about 12:40 a.m.

The 18-year-old woman killed - Tamisha Davidson - lived in the building where the fire broke out, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

By the time firefighters started battling the fire, flames had drastically spread, causing extensive damage to the attic and the second floor.

Deputy District Chief Don Hroma said firefighters encountered an intese blaze on the second floor of the home and had to douse flames from the outside.

"We encountered heavy fire," Hroma said of the blaze, which was extinguished by 1:38 a.m. "We had to back up a little bit and hit it from the exterior."

The injured man was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where he was listed in serious but "stable" condition, Hroma said.

Fire officials said they are investigating the cause of the blaze.

Davidson was not part of the family that lived in the home. The homeowner had taken her in after finding the girl was homeless for a time. Davidson was a close family friend and used to live next door.

Davidson was a CPS student at Austin Career Academy. She had an offer from Miami State University, where she planned to study to pursue a career as a mortician.

The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago provided food, clothing, shoes and warm clothing for eight people displaced by the fire.

The police Bomb and Arson Unit and the fire department's Office of Fire Investigations are investigating.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.