Nov 20, 2007 9:36 pm US/Central
Police Name Dad A Suspect In Arson Involving Boys
GLENDALE HEIGHTS (CBS) ―
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Kaushik Patel is believed to have set a fire in the bathroom of his family's Glendale Heights home, severely burning himself and his two sons.
CBS
Two children have been hospitalized after they were doused with gasoline and set on fire in their west suburban home. Their father, Kaushik Patel, who was also injured in the blaze, was named a suspect Tuesday. Authorities questioned him at Loyola Hospital, where he is recovering from his burn wounds.
Investigators from the DuPage County Major Crimes Task Force met with Glendale Heights police Tuesday morning to work on the case.
The fact that two little boys were burned so badly saddens neighbors. One of them spoke to the boys' mother after the fire.
Daisy Kalapurackal said, "She told me 'There was a fire in my house and my kids are burned really bad.' The grandmother was in the back seat, she was really sobbing … I guess she was in shock."
Police said the boys' mother was not home at the time of the fire. Authorities say the 34-year-old Patel, drove his 7- and 4-year-old sons to a nearby relative's home. They called for help.
When help arrived, responders saw that the children were "severely" burned. The Daily Herald reported the boys, who had recently moved to the Harvest Lane home with their parents, suffered burns over 80 to 90 percent of their bodies.
They and their father all ended up at the burn unit at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. An update on their conditions was not available Tuesday morning.
Kalapuracka lives next to the Patels, who moved in a few months ago. She says Kaushik Patel was very private but his wife and kids are very friendly. She says there were no signs of any problems until last Friday, when she noticed a police car outside their house. She talked to Patel's wife Monday morning, when she came home to get some clothes, and says she's in shock.
Police said the fire was contained to the bathroom of the home.
Police confirm that Patel's wife, Nisha, called them to the house last week. They say no one was home when they got there and Nisha Patel later told them everything was OK.
DuPage County prosecutors declined to comment on the case Tuesday morning.
CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman contributed to this report.cbs2chicago.com's Most Popular Pages 
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