Woman Rescued During Extra-Alarm Fire In Grand Crossing
CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio) -- Chicago firefighters rescued a woman during a fast-spreading extra-alarm fire Monday night in the Grand Crossing neighborhood.
Approximately 100 firefighters were part of the effort to put out the two-alarm fire at a building with a Black Hebrew temple on the first floor and apartments on the second floor near 71st and South Chicago Avenue.
When crews first arrived shortly before 9 p.m., they were told a handicapped person was trapped in one of the apartments upstairs.
"We had fire on the first floor. So the engine company let out a hose line to knock down that fire as quickly as they could. At the same time, that provided the truck company enough time to race up the stairs, and find the individual, and were able to remove her quickly," Fire Department District Chief Dan Cunningham said.
Paramedics treated that woman at the scene.
Cunningham said the incident commander cleared firefighters off the roof and from inside the building early on, for fear of collapse. The roof later caved in, but no other injuries were reported.
The chief said firefighters who carried out the rescue are as good as you'll find anywhere, not just in Chicago.
The Red Cross was providing assistance to two displaced families.