On the Cover
People flee flames and heat moments after a natural gas pipe ignited near the Chicago Housing Authority's Thomas Flennery senior citizen apartment building in Chicago's Near North side on Oct. 30, 1998 A work crew had been using a backhoe when the 24-inch gas main ruptured. The has ignited 40 minutes later. The 4-11 alarm fire burned about 200 feet in the air and extended to numerous apartments on the top seven floors of the structure. More than 500 people from two senior citizen residences and surrounding buildings had been evacuated before the gas ignited. Fireifghters and EMS personnel had to carry many occupants from the upper floors. Five firefighters and three police officers were treated for heat exhaustion. Hoseines were positioned within the struccture and after the gas ignited, firefighters went to work.
