5 Injured in John Hancock Center Fire Saturday: UPDATE

Firefighters responded to a fire in the residential section of the John Hancock Center in Chicago Saturday afternoon. The Chicago Fire Department closed Michigan Avenue in front of the building at 875 N. Michigan Ave. Flames could be seen from windows on the east face in the corner of the building on the 50th floor.

The fire, ruled accidental, started in a bedroom and gutted the apartment, according to the fire department. The cause is under investigation. Damage was contained to the single unit, but everyone on the 50th floor will be displaced.

A man who lives in the building on the 59th floor told DNAinfo Chicago he saw smoldering debris fly past his window and smoke filled the stairway at about 2:40 p.m. The Hancock Center contains a mix of office, retail and residential space. Condos begin on the 44th floor.

The fire department, as of 3:45 p.m., stated that firefighters conducted floor-to-floor searches looking for hot spots, and a top-to-bottom search of the building was ordered to look for anyone needing medical care. More manpower was requested on scene, with the call upgraded to a 2-11 alarm around 3:30 p.m. The fire call was received at 2:30 p.m. As of 4 p.m. the fire was out.

The 59th-floor resident told DNAinfo he heard no announcement or alarm in the Hancock building and the smoke in the stairway was thick and black.

“You wouldn’t — you couldn’t — be able to go down, so that wasn’t going to work,” he told a reporter. ”People didn’t know what to do because we couldn’t get a hold of anyone. There wasn’t an announcement, and I checked my email, no email. People were kinda standing at their doorways waiting for direction or clarity on what to do.”

Firefighters told residents to remain inside their condos.

Five ambulances were dispatched to the building as a “precautionary” standard practice for responding to high-rise fires.

photo credit: Chicago Fire Department Media