Firefighter, Residents Rescued From Chicago Blaze

June 25, 2013
Three adults and a child along with a firefighter who injured his hand were taken to hospitals following an extra-alarm fire that officials. say might have been caused by children lighting fireworks

June 25--Three adults and a child along with a firefighter who injured his hand were taken to hospitals following an extra-alarm fire that officials say might have been caused by children lighting fireworks this afternoon in the Little Village neighborhood.

About 4:30 p.m. the fire started inside an occupied 4-story residential brick building 2400 block of South Central Park Avenue, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.

"The fire took off rapidly,'' Langford said.

It eventually burned through the roof of the large building which holds three different addresses and Langford said while authorities think the fire started inside the building, officials found evidence that fireworks that had exploded outside the building.

Some residents were trapped and were standing at the windows, he said.

"We did some rescues,'' Langford said, adding that details were not available immediately.

"There were reports of kids shooting fireworks,'' Langford said."Preliminarily they are looking into whether fireworks stared the fire."

"OFI is trying to interview occupants of the first floor to see if they know anything,'' Langford said.

The two people who suffered smoke inhalation were taken in fair-to-serious condition to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County and St. Anthony's Hospital, said Langford.

In addition, a 29-year-old woman suffering from smoke inhalation was later hospitalized along with an 8-year-old girl who suffered an asthma attack due to the smoke, fire officials said.

A firefighter was also injured when something fell onto his hand while he was battling the blaze. His injuries are not serious but he will be taken to hospital, said Langford.

As of 5:35p.m. the fire was out and the third alarm, which was activated to get more crews to the scene due to the severity of the fire and of the weather, had been canceled.

Crews remained on the scene, however, where many residents will be displaced. Langford said the building may be able to be salvaged.

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Copyright 2013 - Chicago Tribune

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