CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- One person has died and eight other residents have been hospitalized in a four-alarm fire at a high-rise apartment building located at 4850 S. Lake Park Ave. in Kenwood, Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said.
A Chicago firefighter was also injured and described in fair condition, having suffered orthopedic injuries.
The CFD crews responded to the building, the Harper Square Cooperative, located at 48th and Lake Park Avenue, at 10:06 a.m. after a resident called 9-1-1 and reported the smell of smoke. Nance-Holt said firefighters took control of the building's communication system and alerted residents of situation, which she noted is critical in fighting a high-rise fire.
The fire began on the 15th floor and, because of the windy conditions, climbed up the outside of the building and traveled up nine more floors, to the 24th floor. The commissioner credited crews efforts in ensuring the fire didn't get worse.
"They did an outstanding job because that fire did not go horizontally, it just went up straight vertically, and they did everything they could to put that fire out," Nance-Holt noted.
Crews battled the flames for over two hours and were able to put it out at around 12:30 p.m.
The building is home to many elderly residents, one woman told WBBM.
The commissioner said the building contained 298 apartment units, with 267 occupied at the time of the fire. Residents with physical challenges were prioritized in rescue efforts, followed by those on the affected floors, Deputy Fire Chief Marc Ferman said. Smoke conditions were assessed on each floor, he added.
Barbara Joiner, a 69-year-old resident, stood outside the building with other neighbors as snow continued to fall. Joiner said she acts as a caretaker for another woman who lives in the portion of the building affected by the fire and was anxiously trying to reach her.
“Oh my God,” she said, remembering her reaction to seeing the flames once she got outside. “These flames are still rising.”
City records show the building has failed seven inspections since Oct. 27, 2021.
The last inspection, on Dec. 1, 2022, management was cited for failing to provide an annual fire alarm test for the building, according to records from the city’s Department of Buildings.
Ferman said the Department of Buildings was on site to assess the damage done to the building.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
(The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.)
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