Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — At least seven firefighters were injured when an extra-alarm fire tore through a three-story apartment building in the Rogers Park neighborhood Monday morning, according to fire officials.
Three of the firefighters were taken in good condition to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, and the other four were taken in fair to good condition to Swedish Covenant Hospital, officials said. Details of their injuries were not available.
The fire broke out shortly before 6 a.m. in the 1700 block of West Estes Avenue and was raised to a 2-11 alarm as flames spread through the top two floors and crews briefly lost track of a firefighter, authorities said.
Someone had asked for him on the radio and he didn’t respond, so the battalion chief issued the mayday, officials said. A mayday triggers an automatic escalation of the response, making the fire on Estes an extra-alarm with an emergency medical services plan for a total of six ambulances.
Someone had called 911 about 5:50 a.m. and reported smoke coming from the third floor of the three-story brick building but the caller didn’t see flames, according to authorities.
By about 6:40 a.m., fire crews working on the roof had been ordered off and additional fire equipment, including a collapse rescue rig, had arrived.
Neighbors gathered outside to watch, many wearing blankets to keep warm.
Later in the morning, fire crews responded to an extra-alarm fire in a three-story apartment building in the 8000 block of South Champlain Avenue on the South Side.
The fire was reported around 8 a.m. and there were no reports of injuries.
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