CHA Fire Leaves 2 Hospitalized, Including Man Critically Burned
CHICAGO (STMW) - Two people, including an elderly man who suffered second and third degree burns were injured when a fire started in an apartment at a Chicago Housing Authority senior citizens building on the Near West Side early Sunday.
An EMS Plan I and a still-and-box alarm were called about 1 a.m. at the high rise building at 1633 W. Madison St., according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford. An EMS Plan I sends at least five ambulances to the scene.
The building is the Patrick Sullivan Apartments, a CHA senior building, according to an address directory.
The fire started in a mattress inside one apartment containing the elderly man, according to Langford. That man suffered second and third degree burns and was taken in critical condition to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.
Another person who is in their 20s suffered minor smoke inhalation and was also taken to Stroger, he said.
The blaze was contained to that one room, and was relatively small but was extremely smoky, so firefighters moved other residents of the 14th floor to safer floors, Langford said.
The fire was out by 1:30 a.m., when the alarms were canceled at the building, which is properly equipped with a fire alarm system
Fire authorities are investigating the possibility the fire was caused by careless use of smoking materials, Langford said.
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