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15 Left Homeless By South Chicago Fire

UPDATED 01/14/10 6:36 a.m.

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Firefighters braved air temperatures in the teens and single-digit wind chills overnight as they battled a blaze in the South Chicago neighborhood.

As CBS 2's Susanna Song reports, the fire swept through two residential buildings in the 8300 block of South Houston Avenue, and left more than a dozen people out in the cold.

Firefighters were called to the scene 11:12 p.m. Thursday. They first found flames sweeping through a 2 1/2 story frame building at 8632 S. Houston Ave., Rosado said.

The fire had also spread to the first and second floor of a 2 1/2 story home just to the north at 8634 S. Houston Ave., Rosado said.

Both houses were evacuated immediately.

In all, 99 firefighters were called to fight the 2-11 alarm blaze, and it took them more than an hour to put it out. Firefighters began fighting the blaze in the 8632 building from a defensive posture, trying to protect the building to the north.

Firefighters also had to deal with the bitter cold, but the district chief on the scene said his crews didn't run into any major problems.

"We didn't have any water problems at this location," said District Chief Jerome Shelton. "We requested the extra alarm simply because of the volume of the fire."

In all, 15 people – five adults and 10 children – were displaced by the fire.

The Fire Department requested assistance for the residents from the city Department of Human Services. One of the displaced residents said the American Red Cross also came to the scene to assist.

The tenant said he and his two children lost everything in the fire.

A resident of a nearby building, Jesus Sabas, said the fire came close to spreading to his home.

"I was scared about that," Sabas said. "I feel so lucky."

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Friday morning.

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