Seven people went to the hospital after an early morning fire in a Des Plaines condo building.
Firefighters responded to calls around 1am about an explosion and fire in the three-story building at Laurel and Harding.
Chief Matt Matzl says crews used ladders to rescue people from balconies.
A woman named Nora told WBBM her niece Jazlyn was jolted awake by the explosion but was able to grab her dog while her boyfriend took their baby and they ran out of their first floor unit.
Chief Matzl says with help from more than a dozen neighboring fire departments, they were able to get the fire under control by about 5:30am.
The city says seven people were treated at the scene while seven others went to the hospital.
Three people were initially in critical condition and four had been stabilized.
23 people will need to find another place to stay after the city declared the building uninhabitable.
The Red Cross is helping displaced residents.
The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire and crews from Nicor were on the scene.
There was a strong smell of natural gas at about 7am.
A Nicor spokeswoman says public safety is their top value and their employees are there to support first responders.
