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CHICAGO (AP) -- Prosecutors are investigating the possibility that arson caused a deadly fire at a downtown Chicago high-rise.
Debris from a closet on the building's 12th floor, where the fire originated, tested positive for gasoline, according to a report from the state police crime lab.
A dog trained to sniff for accelerants did not find evidence of gasoline in the building.
The Oct. 17 fire killed six people who were trapped in stairwells and died of smoke inhalation. A city investigation concluded that an unnecessary evacuation order and firefighters' failure to immediately search every floor for victims contributed to the deaths.
Survivors have said they told firefighters people were trapped, and one escape route was closed off by a firefighter who directed evacuees to go up, rather than down, a stairwell in the 35-story building. They did not find an unlocked door until the 27th floor, one survivor said.
Investigators initially focused on the possibility of malfunctioning light fixtures as the cause.
``We have been given information about the presence of gasoline, and this is of obvious interest to us,'' said John Gorman, spokesman for Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine, who has an office in the building. He said the investigation continues.
Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy, for whom three of the fire victims worked, said he always believed arson was a possibility. He said many disgruntled people visit the secretary of state's office on the 12th floor.
