UPDATE: (1:38 p.m. ET):
A Chicago firefighter who was critically injured while battling a Far North Side fire on March 16 has died, officials confirmed, according to WGN.
Officials said Firefighter Mike Altman fell from the first floor into the basement while battling the blaze. A Chicago Fire Department spokesperson said Altman was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious-to-critical condition with extensive second- and third-degree burns. CBC Chicago reported firefighters gathered at the hospital Tuesday morning, and a procession is set to escort Altman from Stroger Hospital to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
EARLIER:
CHICAGO — A Chicago firefighter was hospitalized after being injured in a collapse while battling a Far North Side fire.
Officials said the firefighter was hurt when the floor beneath him collapsed as crews worked to extinguish the blaze on March 16. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and is being treated for second- and third-degree burns, WGN reported.
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The fire began in the rear of a four-story apartment building at 1757 W. North Shore Ave., Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Kelly Burns told the Chicago Sun Times.
Burns said firefighters arrived in less than 10 minutes and initially appeared to be gaining ground on the blaze before part of the first floor collapsed.
“We had one firefighter go through the floor. He was quickly rescued by the members of Squad 2, one of our heavy rescues in the city,” Burns said. “They had him out within, I’m going to say under a minute.”
The fire involved an eight-unit, three-story building with a basement, ABC 7 Chicago reported. What initially appeared to be a small fire in the rear was actually a heavy blaze extending the full height of the building, Burns said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
