1 of 2 suburban Chicago brothers severely burned in Nov. house fire dies

A 4-year-old boy doused with gasoline and severely burned in a house fire nearly two months ago died Thursday, and prosecutors said his father will be charged with his murder.

Om Patel and his 7-year-old brother, Vishv, were burned over most of their bodies in the Nov. 18 fire in the Chicago suburb of Glendale Heights.

Authorities have said the blaze was set by their father, who remains hospitalized. Kaushik Patel has not been charged but will face counts of first-degree murder and aggravated arson once he is released, said Paul Darrah, a spokesman for the DuPage County state's attorney's office.

Om died early Thursday morning at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, hospital spokesman Perry Drake said.

Vishv, who like his brother was placed in a drug-induced coma, remained in critical but stable condition Thursday at the hospital's burn unit. The boy has been recovering and was able to walk a few steps last week, said Tammy Basile, a spokeswoman for LifeSource, which organized a blood drive in honor of the boys at their school on Thursday.

Kaushik Patel, 34, also suffered serious burns and is at the same hospital, but an order of protection has barred him from seeing the children.

He is under continuous police watch and will be taken to jail after he is discharged, Darrah said. It was unclear Thursday whether Patel had an attorney.