One person critically injured in overnight extra-alarm fire in Hyde Park : ‘Such a beautiful building’
A crowd of people gathered outside a Hyde Park apartment building Tuesday morning as firefighters hosed down the top floor of the four-story building from an overnight extra-alarm fire that left one resident in critical condition, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
More than 250 firefighters responded to the fire at 5130 S. Kenwood Ave. that neighbors said started around 3 a.m. The streets were flooded with water Tuesday morning, and visible piles of household items could be seen from the second-floor window of the building.
The department reported that one occupant was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. Larry Langford, the department’s director of media affairs and communications, said the approximately 80-year-old woman was found unresponsive at the scene.
He said no other residents were found in the building at the time of the fire, and no one else had come forward to claim they live there. It remained unclear if there were any other occupants.
Neighbor Kathleen Joshua has lived in the neighborhood since the 1970s. She said she first heard the commotion around 3:30 a.m. and thought she might be in danger herself because there was so much smoke.
“I always loved that building. It’s so beautiful,” she said as she came outside to watch the firefighters work.
She said she had seen the resident who was injured in the fire, an elderly woman, around the neighborhood many times.
“I know she was hurt. I hope she makes it, " Joshua said. “I hope somebody takes care of her after this.”
University of Chicago student Heather Olmez, who lives nearby on South Dorchester Avenue, awoke to the sound of helicopters and a text from a friend telling her a building near her was on fire. She just moved into her complex in September. When she went to check out the area at around 7:30 a.m., she saw the flames flaring out from the top of the building and noticed the roof was nearly gone.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” she said.
Another neighbor, Ana Flavia Marcelino, lives near Nichols Park with her partner and said that she had a hard time breathing outside earlier in the morning due to the smoke.
“It’s just shocking,” she said. “We live in an old building too. We still don’t know what caused it.”
Khadija Scott and Phillip Collins live in an apartment right across the street from the building that caught fire. They said they were surprised they didn’t hear the commotion until later in the morning as they were leaving to start their day. Other residents in their building informed them of the situation.
“This is my first apartment, so I was just wondering what was happening,” Collins said. “I was just shocked. I hope everyone is OK. It’s such a beautiful building.”
