CRESTWOOD, Ill. (CBS) — There is a strong wind on this cold Wednesday evening have been a problem in much of the Chicago area, particularly the Southwest Side and southwestern suburbs.
One of the problems caused by the wind was power outages. As of 10 p.m., ComEd reported just under 400 outages, leaving about 2,000 customers without power. Merrionette Park in the southwestern suburb was part of those numbers earlier Wednesday evening, after high winds downed and flipped a tree branch and caused a power outage for the entire neighborhood.
In Chicago’s Garfield Ridge neighborhood, a branch ended up just feet from damaging vehicles. Wind speeds of 50 miles per hour also proved too much for huge limbs and power lines.
Along Cicero Avenue in the southwestern suburb of Burbank, power was cut to an entire shopping center on 87th Street, forcing businesses to close early.
Further south, in Crestwood, there was a fire at an apartment complex.
“It was an unstoppable fire,” Larry Berndt said. “I mean, it was… it was really roaring.”
Firefighters battled high winds and freezing temperatures as they battled the blaze.
“It looked like they needed more pressure for their hoses,” Berndt said, “but they got that taken care of, but it certainly wasn’t an easy task.”
Berndt lives across the street from the building where the fire broke out and rushed to help a resident who stumbled out of the building before firefighters arrived.
“So I ran over and at the same time a female police officer ran over,” he said. “Me and them grabbed the guy – he was unconscious on the ground, right there on the ground – grabbed him, lifted him up and pulled him into the street.”
By the time Berndt got to the other side, he heard and saw an explosion.
“Glass out a few,” he said. “There were just sparks and embers coming to the streets.”
The 12-unit building at 5700 W. 128th St. in Crestwood was destroyed by the fire. According to the Crestwood Fire Department, two people were taken to the hospital by ambulance. Their circumstances were unknown.
Still, Berndt thought of them, and of the displaced people on such a cold, chilly night.
“After talking to some of the neighbors and seeing that they’re going to be out of the house in this cold weather — I think any time of the year, but around Christmas — it’s just really sad,” he said.
There was no indication as to the cause of the Crestwood fire late Wednesday.
At 10 p.m., winds began to pick up significantly in the southwestern suburbs, causing snow to drift along 115th Street in Merrionette Park.
Just before then, the National Weather Service issued a notice snow shower warning for eastern DuPage and central and southern Cook counties until 10:15 p.m. A dangerous snow shower stretching from Hanover Park to Stickney was moving southeast at 30 miles per hour.
Until 11:15 p.m., another snow shower warning was issued for Northeast Will, Southeast DuPage and Southeast Cook counties in Illinois, and Lake County in Indiana.
The NWS warned that gusty winds and blowing snow could cause a rapid and dangerous reduction in visibility.
Jermont Terry
