8 Firefighters Hurt Battling Extra-Alarm Blaze In Rogers Park
Updated 01/11/16 - 10:15 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Eight firefighters were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, after battling an extra-alarm blaze at an apartment building in the Rogers Park neighborhood Monday morning.
Firefighters were called to a four-story apartment building in the 1700 block of West Estes Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. Within a few minutes, the fire was upgraded to a 2-11 alarm, bringing about 200 firefighters and 70 pieces of equipment to the scene.
Crews evacuated the building and a neighboring building as a precaution.
Flames were shooting through the roof, and firefighters were seen battling flames from the roof at one point.
Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago said when the first crews arrived and began heading up the stairs, a stairway collapsed as crews were climbing up to the third floor, trapping one firefighter who was quickly rescued.
That firefighter suffered a minor shoulder injury, and was taken to Presence St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.
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In all, eight firefighters were injured at the scene. Some were hurt in the stair collapse, and others were hurt falling on ice at the scene. ALl the injuries were minor.
Santiago said frozen hydrants at the scene hampered efforts to put out the fire. While most were opened after using steam to thaw the hydrants, at least one was still frozen more than an hour after the fire started.
No civilians were injured in the fire, which was under control but still burning as of shortly before 8 a.m.
