CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — One person died, and nine others were injured in an extra-alarm fire that climbed several floors of a high-rise apartment building on Chicago’s South Side Wednesday morning.
According to city records, the high-rise, located at 4850 S. Lake Park Ave. in Kenwood, failed seven consecutive inspections dating back to October 2021.
The most recent inspection, which took place on Dec. 1, 2022, found that building management failed to provide an annual fire alarm test for the property, records show.
An inspection in November 2022 showed the building was cited for four different violations, including a failure to obtain and submit a written critical examination report for the building.
The building, known as Harper Square Cooperative, is managed by the Midwest Association of Housing Cooperatives (MAHC). The MAHC did not return WBBM’s request for comment.
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Chicago Fire Department Cmsr. Annette Nance-Holt said crews needed more than two-and-a-half hours to get the fire under control.
“We had over 300 personnel on the scene and over 85 pieces of equipment — fire and EMS — for this actual fire,” Nance-Holt said.
Windy conditions made the fire, which rose nine stories from its point of origin on the 15th floor, even more difficult to contain, said Chicago Fire Department Cmsr. Marc Ferman.
“[The wind] was coming from the other side, which helped fan the flames and create the fire plume that you saw from the outside, which created a lapping effect,” Ferman said. “It was so intense that it reached the windows above the floor and ignited the fire on the floor above.”
The cause of Wednesday’s fire is still under investigation.
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