Three people have died and three others were hospitalized after an extra-alarm fire burned through an apartment building in Austin early Thursday morning.
The fire department says two of the victims are children and one is an adult.
All had been described as in grave condition when paramedics took them to the hospital from the apartment building at North and Latrobe at around 2am.
Long-time resident Joanne Gregory says she helped lead her family out of their second story unit in the smoke, relying on her memory.
Johnny Gregory says his wife woke him up screaming that the building was on fire.
He tells WBBM he threw his pants out the window, knowing that his keys were in the pocket.
The couple and their two grandchildren were rescued from a window by firefighters.
A neighbor tells us he heard several gunshots before seeing fire tear through the third floor.
Crews start to demolish part of Austin apartment building that caught fireNancy Harty
At 10am, a demolition crew started removing part of that top floor.
Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, along with the State Fire Marshal, Chicago Police and Fire are investigating.
The Red Cross says they are helping 28 people who have been displaced.
A CTA cooling bus sat across the street from the building, offering respite for people with no place to go on a hot and humid morning.
