A woman who jumped out of a blazing, five-story apartment building was among 26 people taken to area hospitals Friday after a West Rogers Park fire prompted a rare 5-11 alarm, the largest call-up of manpower within the Chicago Fire Department.
No one was believed to have life-threatening injuries, officials said. But the woman who jumped and five other building residents had serious injuries from smoke inhalation and were listed in stable condition at several hospitals, they added.
The fire may have started in the building’s basement, authorities said. It is being investigated as a possible arson, Chicago Police Department spokeswoman JoAnn Taylor said.
“When we got here, there were people standing in the windows looking to get out of the building,” said James Joyce, Chicago fire commissioner, standing outside the building at 7330 N. Ridge Ave. that caught fire around 3:15 p.m. The blaze was extinguished about 45 minutes later, but not before some tense moments.
When crews arrived, fire had engulfed the basement and spread to other floors, Joyce said. Thick, black smoke filled the third and fourth floors, forcing the use of ladder trucks to evacuate many residents, he said.
Residents reported the fire to 911 after smoke detectors sounded. The alarms likely were responsible for saving numerous lives, officials said.
Several neighborhood residents said they saw flames and smoke and ran to offer assistance. Some said residents were hanging out windows, screaming for help.
Joyce said they were trying late Friday to find out how many people lived in the building. But it appeared about 55 units were affected.
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