Fire at Cook County Building and City Hall prompts large response
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A fire in a storage closet at the Cook County Building prompted a large response Wednesday morning in the building that also houses City Hall, and disrupted a City Council meeting that was underway at the time.
Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief John Giordano said, around 11:15 a.m., firefighters responded to a report of a fire on the 3rd floor of the Cook County Building at 118 N. Clark St.
Multiple fire trucks and least six ambulances responded to the scene, which is standard procedure with a fire in a high-rise building in Chicago.
Several cardboard boxes in a storage room had caught fire, causing light smoke on the 3rd and 4th floor, Giordano said.
The fire was quickly extinguished. Crews opened windows in the building and set up fans to clear out the smoke.
Two people who were in the room at the time the fire started were evaluated by EMTs, but did not need to go to the hospital.
As crews were putting out the fire, people inside the Cook County Building and Chicago City Hall, which is in the same building, were told to shelter in place.
Mayor Brandon Johnson was presiding over a Chicago City Council meeting at the time, and everyone at the meeting was told to leave the Council Chamber and go to the lobby around 11:30 a.m.
One person who tripped while making their way to the lobby was also evaluated by EMTs, but did not go to the hospital.
The cause of the fire was under investigation Wednesday afternoon.
