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Lontray Clark Faces Murder and Arson Charges in Deadly Austin Fire

Police allege he deployed Molotov cocktails in a domestic dispute that ignited the June 26 fire

A demolition crew knocks down damaged sections of a building after an overnight fire killed four, June 26, 2025, in the 5200 block of West North Avenue in Chicago's Austin neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • Clark is scheduled to appear Saturday in Leighton Courthouse for a detention hearing
  • He has been charged on numerous felony counts, among them first-degree murder, aggravated arson, attempted murder and residential arson
  • A joint investigation by Chicago police and the ATF identified him as the suspect after combing through the fire’s wreckage
  • The June 26 blaze at a three-story West North Avenue building killed four people, including a 5-year-old and longtime editor Brad Cummings, and critically injured three others
  • More than two dozen families were displaced, prompting community vigils and a $5,000 reward offered by faith leaders