Old Town Fire Started In Dumpster, Officials Say

CHICAGO (CBS)-- A fire in the back of an apartment building sent people out of their homes early Tuesday in the Old Town neighborhood.

Flames were seen engulfing the back porch on Hudson Avenue near Blackhawk Street.

A transformer explosion was initially blamed for the fire, but the Police and Fire departments later said the blaze started in a dumpster.

The flames lit up the alley at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, as firefighters moved around dumpsters and garbage cans to put out the fire.

One neighbor shared cell phone video he shot of the fire from his back porch. Another neighbor posted Instagram video as the flames inched closer to her home.

Other neighbors told CBS 2 they could feel the heat from the flames, inside their homes.

"We could feel the heat in the room, that if the glass was really hot by the touch, and as we're trying to get our stuff on and get together, the heat was picking up in the room, so we knew we needed to get out immediately," said neighbor Jeremy Brongiel.

The fire destroyed four cars and damaged several others, and also damaged several back porches.

According to Chicago Red Cross officials, two families were displaced and they will be provided with "immediate service."

Firefighters late Tuesday were still trying to determine if the fire was linked to a series of recent arsons in alleys in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.