Residents evacuated after condo building floor partially collapses in Morton Grove

First responders had to evacuate people from their homes in a condo building in the north Chicago suburb of Morton Grove early Sunday after a partial garage collapse.

Fire officials said there was a small gathering at one unit where they had to rescue more than 20 people off a balcony.

The collapse happened near the intersection of Lincoln and Austin avenues. Morton Grove police said they arrived to assist the fire department around 8:15 p.m. Saturday.

The fire chief said a column failed in the garage, causing the first two floors to drop about 2 to 3 inches. All the doors in the hallways were jammed, and some people were trapped inside their units.

"It was very like — it was just a very loud crash noise and the building shook, and we thought it was a vehicle," said James Kwon. "We couldn't open the door, and door was stuck. It was stuck. We couldn't unlock it, there was cracks everywhere, we had to wait for the firemen to get us out."

Some residents also thought it was an earthquake.

One woman who was there helped her neighbors stay warm.

"I feel very bad that people were outside in the cold, so they're coming to my house," said resident Natalie Dotlich. "I don't want people sitting outside. She's 95 years old."

Other residents were also taken into ambulances to stay warm.

It was unclear early Sunday where the issues first started in the building and how long residents will be displaced.