30 Left Homeless After Rogers Park Fire
UPDATED 04/11/12 8:56 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Nearly three dozen people were without a home in the Rogers Park neighborhood Wednesday morning, after a fire extensively damaged their condo building.
As CBS 2's Susanna Song reports, the fire broke out around 9:30 p.m. in the three-story, 19-unit condo building at 7052-7054 N. Greenview Ave., between Estes and Greenleaf avenues.
The fire rekindled on the roof around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, prompting firefighters to return to the scene after a call from CBS 2.
A total of 30 people were displaced by the fire.
Flames and smoke were seen rising from 1920s-era the brick building as the fire raged.
The fire started on the third-floor back porch. Within an hour, firefighters had the blaze under control.
But the fourth floor and back porches were heavily damaged. Other units were left with water damage or broken windows.
Some people were seen leaving the building with overnight bags. Thirty residents were forced out of their units because of unsafe conditions.
A 70-year-old man in a wheelchair who uses an oxygen tank was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston as a precaution. Doctors checked him out and said he was not hurt.
When the fire rekindled, firefighters had to pull down parts of the ceiling and attack the blaze from the second floor. Flames were seen both in a unit in the interior of the building, and in the void space below the ceiling, CBS 2's Kris Habermehl reported.
The building had been empty for some time when the fire rekindled Wednesday morning.
Fire officials say the cause of the fire is under investigation.
