3 dead, 3 injured after apartment building fire on Chicago's Far North Side
Three people died, and at least three others were injured after an apartment building fire in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood early Thursday morning.
Chicago police said firefighters responded around 1:50 a.m. to the two-alarm fire at an apartment complex at 7016-7018 N. Rockwell St. in West Ridge, or West Rogers Park. The building is located at the southwest corner of Rockwell Street and Greenleaf Avenue, right across the street from the tennis courts at Indian Boundary Park.
The Fire Department called a 2-11 alarm, sending about 100 firefighters. An EMS Plan 1 was also called, automatically sending five ambulances.
The building has seven units, including a garden apartment, and all were occupied, according to Chicago Fire Department First District Chief Jim McDonough.
The Chicago Fire Department said the stairways caught fire, and the only way out of the building for residents above the first floor was through the windows. Fire officials said at least two residents jumped out of windows before crews arrived and were critically injured.
CFD confirmed at least three people died and three people were injured after jumping out of the building. A teenage girl was injured, and a young boy was taken to a local hospital with critical injuries. A woman was also in critical condition after jumping from the burning building.
At least three cats died in the fire and other pets are still missing.
Firefighters rescued at least six people from the fire using ladders.
Fire officials said crews are working to ensure all residents are accounted for as the building search continues. Due to a roof collapse, fire officials said it may be unsafe for firefighters to locate possible victims.
A resident told CBS News Chicago she used a ladder to escape the fire. She said the flames and smoke delayed the rescue.
"We couldn't get out," Nuti Ho said. "We tried to get out as quick as possible because smoke was coming all over the room."
Another resident said he had to improvise to get his family to safety.
Simon Besong said he feared there was no way to get out of their apartment.
"It was very scary, because my children were in panic. I told them, 'Don't panic, we are going to get out. Don't panic, we are going to get out,'" Simon Besong said.
His wife was awake and saw dark smoke inside their apartment. He opened the door and saw flames in the hallway. There was only one way out, the window, so he tied a bedsheet to the window.
"I came down, and then my wife sent my children down, and then she also came down. My older daughter came down too," he said.
A Chicago Buildings Department spokesperson said the fire caused significant damage to the apartment building, including a partially collapsed roof, leaving several apartments uninhabitable.
"The unit tier at 7016-7018 N. Rockwell St. experienced a roof collapse due to the fire rendering the units uninhabitable. The tier of units located on 7022-7024 N. Rockwell St. sustained fire, water, and smoke damage that requires a restoration company to protect residents from sustaining future damage. The unit tier on 2609 W. Greenleaf remains undamaged as those residents were not impacted," the spokesperson said in an email.
Police said the cause of the fire is under investigation.