Fire whips through apartment building in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood, at least 2 injured
At least two people were injured, and 20 more were displaced, after an extra-alarm fire tore through an apartment building in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood overnight Sunday into Monday.
The fire broke out at 1 a.m. in the three-story, 24-unit building at 2339-41 W. Touhy Ave., just east of Western Avenue in West Ridge, or West Rogers Park. The fire was believed to have started on the first floor of the building and climbed to the second, according to Chicago Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner John Gies.
The Fire Department raised a 2-11 alarm for additional equipment and manpower.
A 2-11 alarm sends at least eight engines, four trucks, two tower ladders, five battalion chiefs, a district chief, a deputy district chief, a squad company, an ambulance, and the Command Van to the scene, with around 100 firefighters responding.
Firefighters used at least three different sets of ladders to rescue four people, Gies said. Chicago police said 18 adults and two children were displaced in the fire.
First responders were seen helping one resident wrapped in a blanket.
Firefighters faced challenges from the cold, and the building was a challenge to access with on driveway, Gies said.
Shimon Becker lives in the building, close to the laundry room. He said he heard people saying, "Get up, get up!"
"Just right across the hall, you know, the laundry room door is always open, so, you know there was a bunch of smoke coming out there, and, you know, saw some flames, and then just went right outside — you know, everyone was kind of panicking," Becker said, "and then the windows for the laundry room were kind of all orange, and they started cracking from the heat and stuff."
Video shows the burnt-out laundry room, and a mattress that some people jumped down onto from a second-floor window.
Becker said he was able to escape quickly with his dog. He spoke to CBS News Chicago from his car with his dog in his lap.
"I'm just hoping I can get my stuff, you know, for school tomorrow, and then I'm not sure," he said. "Maybe the management company will figure something out. I doubt it, but we'll see. Probably try to get a couple hours in my car."
Two people were injured in the fire, including a Chicago Police Department member with minor injuries. Another person suffered a leg injury and was in good condition.
Hours after the fire was out, windows were broken on the top floor of the building.
Twenty people made it out of the building safely, but they are now starting the week without a home.
