Large fire at Chicago Ridge apartment building leaves all tenants homeless
CHICAGO RIDGE, Ill. (CBS) -- A fire ripped through an apartment complex Saturday evening in southwest suburban Chicago Ridge.
The fire started around 5:15 p.m. in a three-story apartment building in the 10500 block of Brooks Lane. Flames spread across the top floor of the building, causing parts of the roof to collapse.
Firefighters from multiple surrounding suburbs helped battle the flames for hours. At times it appeared they had the fire nearly extinguished, only for the flames to erupt again.
One neighbor, Noura, who lives in the building next to the one on fire, said she called 911 after hearing a neighbor screaming.
"My neighbor started screaming, 'Call 911. Call 911. My house is on fire,'" Noura said.
She said it's still unclear what started the fire. While it appeared no people were injured, there were concerns some family pets might have been trapped inside.
Neighbors said firefighters had trouble identifying the source of the flames, battling winds and water pressure issues once they arrived.
"All of a sudden, we just seen it coming out of the roof; smoke. There was no fire yet in sight. It was just smoke, and even when the firefighters came, they didn't even, they couldn't find the fire in the beginning. No one knew where knew where the fire was," Noura said.
Neighbors said they've been checking on each other, unsure where these residents will go, but thankful they got out safely.
"I feel blessed that everybody was able to get out of that building and nobody was hurt," said Randy Moore, who lives in the building.
No injuries were reported, but fire officials said the building's tenants will be left temporarily homeless. The American Red Cross was working to find warming shelters for the people who live in the building.
