Article: Fire kills Sen. Bloom // 3-year-old daughter dies; son, 7, in critical condition

PEORIA State Sen. Prescott E. Bloom (R-Peoria), who posed as a drifter on Chicago's streets to investigate Medicaid fraud, died early yesterday with his daughter in his arms in a fire that swept through their home here.

The daughter, Jennifer, 3, died at about 6 p.m. at St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria.

Bloom, 43, was found holding his daughter in a second-floor bedroom. His 7-year-old son Jeffrey, who was in critical condition, was found on the first floor lying at the bottom of a stairway.

"It looked like he died trying to save his children," said Gov. Thompson, a close friend.

All three victims suffered smoke inhalation and were unconscious when taken to the hospital, Peoria ...

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