CHICAGO (CBS) — Two firefighters were hospitalized Tuesday morning after fighting an extra alarm fire in Humboldt Park when one suffered heat problems and another cut his hand.
Deputy Deputy Fire Commissioner Donald Walker said the fire department received the first call about the blaze at around 10:50 a.m.
When the crew arrived on scene, they saw heavy fire coming from the windows of a 2½ story apartment building, with flames also visible at the rear of the building. Everyone living in the building had already gotten out safely, Walker said.
About 15 minutes after the first firefighters arrived on scene, a firefighter working on the roof suffered from heat exhaustion, prompting a 911 call, which Walker said called for at least 50 more firefighters. Temperatures hit the low 80s on Tuesday, and Walker said firefighters’ protective equipment may also make them more likely to overheat.
“When you hear a mayday over the radio, it’s the worst thing we want to hear right now,” Walker said. “We took it off the roof and brought it down, and it’s in good shape.”
The fire department later issued a 2-11 alarm to deploy more crew and equipment. A fire lieutenant also cut his hand while putting out the blaze.
Both injured firefighters were taken to hospital in good condition.
The fire was extinguished late Tuesday morning.
Neighbor Ramon Ramos Jr. said he ran to him after he and his wife saw the fire from down the street.
“I was one of the first people here. There were two little girls in the front, and I said to them, ‘Hey, your house is on fire,’ and the two little girls knocked on the door, and this lady came out. , and I told her, ‘Hey, come out, get out of the house, the house is on fire on the side,’ Ramos said.
After several other people came out of the building, a woman said her father was still inside, so Ramos and another man ran in and found the man standing at a doorway, and he seemed to be disoriented by the smoke, so they carried it. outside.
“It was the first time for me. It was a crazy situation,” said Ramos.
No civilians were injured in the fire. Walker said the cause of the fire was under investigation Tuesday afternoon.
