CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio) – A Chicago firefighter has died after falling through the floor while battling a fast-moving apartment fire Monday on the city’s North Side, officials said.
The extra-alarm fire broke out just before 11:30 a.m. in a four-story apartment building in the Rogers Park neighborhood, near West North Shore Avenue and North Ravenswood Avenue. When crews arrived, heavy smoke and flames were visible from multiple floors, prompting a large emergency response of roughly 100 firefighters.
Chicago Fire Department officials said the blaze was largely concentrated in the rear of the building, where conditions were especially intense.
During firefighting efforts, one firefighter fell from the first floor into the basement.
“He was there one second, he was in the basement the next,” Deputy District Chief Kelly Burns told CBS News Chicago.
Firefighters already working below quickly rescued the injured firefighter, pulling him out in under a minute.
He was transported to Stroger Hospital in serious-to-critical condition, and later died from his injuries. Sources said the firefighter suffered extensive burns, including second- and third-degree injuries.
At least seven residents were displaced by the fire and are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.