Excerpts from cbsnews.com:
Eight people were rushed to area hospitals – including a baby who was in critical condition – from a high-rise fire in the South Shore neighborhood.
Firefighters were called just before 4 p.m. for the fire in a 1920s-era high-rise at 7144 S. Jeffery Blvd. The fire started in a kitchen in a unit on the second floor of the 14-story building.
The fire was upgraded to a 2-11 alarm and an Emergency Medical Services Plan 2 for extra equipment and manpower. A 2-11 alarm sends 40 pieces of equipment and about 155 firefighters, while an EMS Plan 2 sends 10 to 12 ambulances.
Firefighters performed ladder rescues as people hung out of windows.
On the 12th through the 14th floors, rescues had to be conducted inside. The building’s elevators were out, so firefighters had to use the stairs to rescue people.
Some people on those floors had been about to jump. One person did jump from the fourth floor but could walk afterward.
Most of the fire was on the second floor, but the fire did get into the stairwell, and there was a great deal of heat and smoke from the second floor up to the fifth floor.
The Office of Fire Investigation determined the fire was caused by unattended cooking in a second-floor unit.
As the fire burned on the second floor, people were seen screaming for help as they found themselves trapped several floors up and hung out of the windows. The desperation on their faces was palpable as smoke poured out of the building.
Images from the scene show a firefighter cradling a child. The kid was scared but safe – and everyone was thankful.
