A house fire near Chicago's O'Hare airport Friday left three firefighters injured, and officials say one is in critical condition.
A mayday was sounded as crews battled the fire in the single-story home in the 8300 block of W. Balmoral Ave.
Larry Langford, spokesman for the fire department, told ABC 7 Chicago that two firefighters were listed in fair condition.
The seriously injured firefighter, a veteran of the job, was taken to Loyola Medical Center for treatment.
He and another were in the basement of the home. Another firefighter was injured outside, Langford said.
"All of a sudden I heard my neighbor screaming, 'My house is on fire!' Like something with the basement," neighbor Jim Bruno told the television station. "And when they opened the front door, I've never seen so much smoke in my life. Just dark smoke. Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like that in all my life."
The homeowner told the television station the fire started in the basement, and they believed it was electrical in origin.
A mayday was called at another Chicago fire Wednesday when a firefighter went down on the roof during a house fire.