CHICAGO (CBS) — Firefighters in west suburban Westmont had to call in reinforcements overnight, when winds began whipping up the flames at a large apartment building fire.
The extra-alarm blaze started around 1:30 a.m. at a 16-unit apartment building near 67th and Park.
Strong winds overnight made extinguishing the fire even more challenging. By 2:30 a.m., it was burning out of control.
“The winds this morning did not help us at all. The winds fueled this fire, and spread the fire across the roof area. We had to go defensive for a little bit just to get that fire knocked down, so we could get companies back into the building,” Westmont Fire Chief Dave Weiss said.
At the peak of the fire, flames rose at least 20 feet out of the top of the three-story building.
“That took off a whole entire roof line,” witness Zachary Plunkett said.
Witnesses said a fixture attached to the side of the building might have sparked the blaze. Officials said it appears to have started on the second floor and spread quickly from there.
“The flames were so intense earlier, you could feel the heat from across the pond, and it got going pretty quick once it started to pick up,” witness Dave Schneider said.
No one was injured. One person who lives in the building pulled the fire alarm after seeing the fire, helping make sure everyone got out safe.
Fire officials said residents of all 16 units were left homeless.
from CBS Chicago http://ift.tt/2nlQF8j
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