According to Chicago fire officials, a fire broke out in a high-rise building on the North Side due to unattended cooking. The incident resulted in injuries to nine individuals, with one person in critical condition and eight others with serious injuries.
CFD called the fire accidental, and said it started in a fourth-floor unit. It spread through an open apartment door.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
The CFD 2nd District Chief, Robert Jurewicz, provided details on the injuries sustained by the victims following the blaze. The severity of the situation necessitated the transportation of the injured parties to the hospital for medical treatment.
Dozens were rescued on the scene in the 5400-block of North Kenmore Avenue in Edgewater.
As a result of the fire, a section of the high-rise building has been deemed uninhabitable. Residents residing on the higher floors were rescued using ladders since the fire escapes became impassable due to the smoke that filled the area.
The building was full of elderly residents.
Forty to 50-foot ladders were put up to rescue residents, some of whom were hanging out of the windows of the eight-story building.
Smoke was seen billowing out of the fourth floor, where the fire started in a rear apartment unit.
About 125 firefighters were on scene, working frantically both to fight the fire and to conduct the rescues, Jurewicz said.
It took around 75 minutes to put the fire out.
Officials said residents who have been displaced will eventually be allowed to return to their units, which should be undamaged as long as their doors remained closed.
The fire happened at a high rise building in the 5400-block of N. Kenmore Avenue on Thursday.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
