Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Fire Blazes at North Side High Rise (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
The 43-story Chicago building caught fire, and there are no injuries, this isn't the first time a fire ravaged the building. Residents and the fire commissioner talk about the blaze.
Chicago police and fire crews were called to 2626 N. Lakeview Ave. today around 3:30 p.m. after an alarm signaled a fire in the building, according to firefighters on the scene.
The building is one and a half blocks south of the corner of Diversey Parkway and Sheridan Road.
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The blaze happened on the 24th floor, and it was under control by 4 p.m. Emergency personnel were going door-to-door in the building letting residents know about the fire, but they were not asked to evacuate.
Rachel Rosencranz, a resident on the 27th floor, said she wasn’t in the building when the fire happened, but could see it from the lakeshore.
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“It was a fire that had a lot of potential for things to go wrong.”
“We weren’t here when it happened, but I was worried because our dogs were in there,” Rosencranz said. “I was just counting the floors (while standing outside). We have a friend who lives on 19, so I took a picture and sent it to him… Someone said they saw the explosion out of the side of the building, but that’s just hearsay.”
Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago said the wind was coming off the lake when the fire started, affecting the flames, and nobody was in the apartment at the time. He added that only one unit was damaged by the blaze, and firefighters tried to keep the water damage at a minimum.
“It was a fire that had a lot of potential for things to go wrong,” Santiago said.
The Chicago Fire Department tweeted that the Office of Fire Investigations will be investigating cause, but according to Santiago, there are currently no leads as to what started the fire.
And this isn't the first time the building caught on fire. On Jan. 26, 2007, a more serious fire occoured on the 26th floor, killing two elderly residents, Chi Town Daily News reported. At the time, the building didn't have sprinklers. It is unclear if the building now has a sprinkler system. More than 150 firefighters responded.
Editor's Note: This story was edited for clairty on Oct. 26.
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