Erin Hooley / baiduhaiAmerican Red Cross workers remain at the scene of the fire Aug. 26, 2018.
Erin Hooley/baiduhaiBuildings are damaged where a fire killed 10 children in Little Village.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiFamily and friends of six of the victims of the fatal fire gather after a memorial service Sept. 1, 2018, at Our Lady of Tepeyac Catholic Church.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiRain clouds hover over the scene of the fatal fire.
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiA makeshift memorial of candles, flowers and balloons grows Aug. 26, 2018, in honor of the 10 children killed in the fire.
E. Jason Wambsgans / baiduhaiVictims' relatives and neighbors gather with community activists and clergy Sept. 20, 2018, to discuss their options for protecting a memorial for the 10 children who died in the Little Village fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiFuneral workers carry a casket inside Our Lady of Tepeyac Catholic Church for a memorial service.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiCandles, flowers and balloons left by well-wishers accumulate Aug. 27, 2018, at a memorial for the 10 children who died in the fire.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiPeople stand outside Our Lady of Tepeyac Catholic Church after a memorial service for six of the 10 children killed in the fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiVictor Mendoza, 16, was one of 10 children killed in the fire.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiA Chicago firefighter passes out smoke detectors to residents a day after the fatal fire.
E. Jason Wambsgans / baiduhaiVictims' relatives and neighbors gather with community activists and clergy Sept. 20, 2018, to discuss their options for protecting a memorial to the 10 children who died in Little Village after a fire erupted at an apartment building Aug. 26. The families were concerned about rumors that the memorial would be torn down.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiVolunteers from New Life Church listen to a prayer sermon Aug. 28, 2018, delivered by one of the family members of the 10 children killed.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiPeople embrace as they arrive Aug. 27, 2018, at a memorial filled with candles, flowers and balloons in memory of the 10 victims.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiVolunteers from New Life Church build a memorial garden honoring the 10 fire victims.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiChicago firefighters work at the scene of the fire Aug. 26, 2018.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiRelatives of the victims gather outside Mount Sinai Hospital on Aug. 26, 2018.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiCaskets of six children who died in the fire are blessed during a ceremony at Our Lady of Tepeyac Catholic Church.
E. Jason Wambsgans / baiduhaiThe Rev. Tom Boharic blesses the memorial to the 10 children Sept. 20, 2018.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiVolunteers from New Life Church build a memorial garden for the 10 children killed in the fire.
Terrence Antonio James / baiduhaiTen children who had gathered for a sleepover died Aug. 26, 2018, after a fire raced through a coach house in Little Village. It was the deadliest fire in Chicago in a decade. Read more.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiYolanda Ayala, mother of five of the children who died in the fire, cries as caskets are loaded into hearses outside Our Lady of Tepeyac Catholic Church.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiDonations are collected Aug. 28, 2018, for the tenants affected by the fire in Little Village.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiPeople carry things away from the scene of the fire Aug. 26, 2018.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiA Chicago police officer ties tape at the scene of the fire Aug. 26, 2018.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiVolunteers from New Life Church build a memorial garden near the building where the 10 children were killed in a fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiA photo of Cesar Contreras, 14, is attached to a heart and cross at a memorial in front of the Little Village fire scene. Victor was among the 10 victims of the blaze.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiA man talks to a Chicago police officer at the scene of the fatal fire in Little Village.
Terrence Antonio James / baiduhaiMourners gather in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue on Aug. 27, 2018, to hold a vigil for the fire victims.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiJessie Cobos, who said he was a caretaker of victims Giovanni, 10; Gialanni, 5; and Alanni, 3, writes on a wooden cross Aug. 26, 2018, at the scene of the fire.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiInvestigator Patrick Dunn inspects the damage Sept. 8, 2018, at the Little Village apartment where 10 children died in a fire.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiPallbearers carry the casket of Victor Mendoza, 16, the oldest child to die in the Little Village fire, at his funeral Sept. 12, 2018, at Our Lady of Tepeyac Catholic Church in Chicago.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiRelatives and neighbors walk among the candles, flowers and crosses at the scene of the fatal fire.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiDerek Starr, a forensic electrical engineer, inspects the damage on Sept. 8, 2018, at the fire-gutted Little Village apartment where 10 children died Aug. 26.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiImages of the victims hang on an iron gate Aug. 27, 2018, near the site of the Little Village fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiVictor Mendoza's family members light candles spelling his name Aug. 28, 2018, as neighborhood residents gather to pray for the 16-year-old and the nine other children who died in the Little Village fire two days earlier.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiChicago firefighters line up as they prepare to pass out smoke detectors to residents in Little Village.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiImages of the victims hang on an iron gate near the site of the fatal fire in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiA man from the Red Cross talks with family members of the people killed in the Little Village fire on Aug. 26, 2018.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiJessie Cobos, who said he was a caretaker of victims Giovanni, 10; Gialanni, 5; and Alanni, 3, crouches near wooden crosses Aug. 26, 2018, at the scene of the fire in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiMarcos Contreras, 15, right, and his grandmother Ramonita Reyes talk with reporters Aug. 26, 2018, about the family members they lost in the fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiVolunteers from New Life Church build a memorial garden for the victims of the fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiPeople gather to watch volunteers from New Life Church build a memorial garden Aug. 28, 2018, near the building where the 10 children were killed.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiA dog peers from a window of a home with melted siding near the site of the fatal Little Village fire.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiCandles with the names of victims are lit Aug. 26, 2018, at the scene of the fire.
E. Jason Wambsgans / baiduhaiA memorial for the 10 children is shown Sept. 20, 2018.
Terrence Antonio James / baiduhaiMourners assemble to hold a vigil for the victims of the Little Village fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiA woman visits a memorial Aug. 30, 2018, for the 10 children who died in the Little Village fire. The children ranged in age from 3 months to 16 years old.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiPeople stand outside Our Lady of Tepeyac Catholic Church after the memorial service.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiPeople arrive at a makeshift memorial Aug. 27, 2018, to pay their respects to the 10 victims of the fire.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiPeople stand near the scene of the fire Aug. 26, 2018.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiA man who identified himself as the father of some of the victims but did not give a name puts a hand on a wooden cross Aug. 26, 2018, at the scene of the fatal fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiRelatives gather Aug. 26, 2018, outside Mount Sinai Hospital, where at least one of the victims of the Little Village fire was taken.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiA woman lights a candle for the victims of the fire.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiChicago firefighters walk under tape at the scene of the fire on Aug. 26, 2018.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiMarcos Contreras, left, hugs another person Aug. 26, 2018, as people gather near wooden crosses at the scene of the fire that killed 10 children, including some of Contreras' siblings.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiMarcos Contreras, 15, second from left in the front row, and his sister Amber Ayala lean on each other while other family members look at photos of the the children who died in the fire.
E. Jason Wambsgans / baiduhaiA memorial to the 10 children who died in the fire is filled with mementos, stuffed animals and candles in 2018.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiMarcos Contreras, 15, second from left, and his sister Amber Ayala look at photos of their siblings who died in the fire.
Terrence Antonio James / baiduhaiMourners gather to hold a vigil for the victims of the fire.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiJessie Cobos, who said he was a caretaker of victims Giovanni, 10; Gialanni, 5; and Alanni, 3, hugs a woman at the scene of the fatal fire.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiThe fire-gutted Little Village apartment, at right, is where 10 children were killed. Police and firefighters found no smoke detectors in the building.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiA woman walks among candles and crosses near the scene of the fatal fire.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiPeople gather near wooden crosses Aug. 26, 2018, at the scene of the fire.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiAmber Ayala hugs a wooden cross Aug. 26, 2018, at the scene of the fire that killed some of her siblings in the Little Village neighborhood.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiA Chicago firefighter walks between buildings Aug. 26, 2018, after the fatal fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiRelatives of the victims of the fire gather outside Mount Sinai Hospital on Aug. 26, 2018.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiPeople gather around the scene of the fire on Aug. 26, 2018.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiChicago firefighters pass out smoke detectors to residents Aug. 27, 2018, a day after the fatal fire.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiCandles with the names of victims are lit Aug. 26, 2018, at the scene of the fire.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiVolunteers from New Life Church build a memorial garden for the 10 children killed in the fire.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiA Chicago police officer puts up tape at the scene of the fatal fire Aug. 26, 2018, in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiFuneral workers carry a casket inside Our Lady of Tepeyac Catholic Church for a memorial service.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiA memorial to the 10 children who died in the fire is shown Aug. 27, 2018.
Erin Hooley/baiduhaiWooden crosses bear the names of victims of the fatal fire Aug. 26, 2018.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiWooden crosses are carried to the scene of the fire to honor those who were killed Aug. 26, 2018.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiMarcos Contreras and his sister Amber Ayala (both not pictured) look at photos of their siblings. From bottom, left to right, are Ariel Garcia, 5, Xavier Contreras, 11, Nathan Contreras, 13, their mother, and Cesar Contreras, 14. Ariel, Xavier, Nathan and Cesar were all killed in the fire, along with their baby sister, Amaya Almaraz, 3 months, top photo.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiEarly morning sunlight Aug. 21, 2019, illuminates crosses bearing the names of the 10 children who died in a Little Village fire the year before.
Erin Hooley / baiduhai
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American Red Cross workers remain at the scene of the fire Aug. 26, 2018.
ExpandBy Elvia Malagon
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The Little Village apartment building where 10 children died in a fire last year will be demolished by July under a legal agreement reached Thursday.
Attorneys for the city and the property owner, Merced Gutierrez, agreed Thursday that the rear structure where the children had been sleeping would be demolished before July 18, which is when they will return to Cook County Circuit Court, according to an agreed order. A hearing in the case had been scheduled for Thursday in front of Cook County Circuit Judge Leonard Murray, but the attorneys reached the agreement before court officially began.
Gutierrez did not appear in court Thursday. He faces more than 40 code violations that were filed by the city in the days after the fire.
The property, located in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue, has been the subject of scrutiny since Aug. 26, when a fire broke out in an apartment in a rear building where nine first cousins and a close family friend were having a sleepover. There were no survivors.
The children who died were identified as Amayah Almaraz, 3 months; Alanni Ayala, 3; Gialanni Ayala, 5; Ariel Garcia, 5; Giovanni Ayala, 10; Xavier Contreras, 11; Nathan Contreras, 13; Adrian Hernandez, 14; Cesar Contreras, 14; and Victor Mendoza, 16.
Gutierrez and his family are negotiating with contractors to demolish the rear building, Anthony Peraica, Gutierrez’s attorney, said by phone this week. The family intends to rehab the front structure, which has been vacant since the fire.
Twitter @ElviaMalagon