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Family Rescued From Fire In Kenwood

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Neighbors rushed to help a family escape their home after the apartment caught fire early Tuesday in Kenwood.

The fire started around 1 a.m. in the 4500 block of South Drexel Boulevard.

Two men who live across the alley from the building saw and heard the fire, so they ran into the first floor apartment and rescued six kids and their mom from the burning home.

"I came down, laid the door down, and helped pull the kids over," neighbor Stanley Jones said.

The family was not hurt. One of the two men who rescued them suffered minor burns to his chest. He was treated by paramedics at the scene. Two other residents in the building were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Red Cross is now assisting families and making sure everyone has a warm place to stay.

"There's nothing like going to someone on the worst day of life and just holding them through it," said Red Cross volunteer Sentira Turner.

When fire damaged Roberta McBride's West Englewood home on Tuesday, Turner was there.

"I was able to push those moms through and make those moms strong when they needed to be moms instead of the natural instinct to break out," Turner said.

Helping is a way of life for Red Cross volunteers, like Sentira Turner.

"There's nothing like a Red Cross hug," Turner said. "And the fact that I have that, it's makes my day worth it."

Two weeks ago many of you helped CBS Chicago raise over million dollars during our annual telethon for the Red Cross. Some of that money is helping the families of this fire.

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