Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:

Two people were critically injured after they tried to jump to escape a fire at an apartment building on Chicago’s West Side. The man and woman tried to jump, but a porch started to buckle after the blaze broke out around 3:15 a.m. in the 4300-block of West Monroe Street.

Just as the woman was about to jump, the burning porch partially collapsed, bringing her down, along with the other victim. They fell from the third floor onto the grass below. The man and woman were taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital. They suffered serious smoke inhalation, burns and other injuries.

Firefighters said the fire started on that back porch and spread into the building, where neighbors said squatters have been known to smoke. The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined.

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