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Firefighter Injured In Fall While Battling West Side Blaze

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago firefighter suffered several broken ribs when he fell from the second floor of a home early Wednesday while fighting a fire in the Austin neighborhood.

The fire started shortly after midnight at a 2 1/2-story home in the 4900 block of West Ferdinand Street.

Firefighter Jeff Rich fell through a second floor window in the back of the home while battling the blaze, according to Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago. Rich did not see the window due to heavy smoke inside the home. He fell about 20 feet onto an air conditioner unit, and ended up on the concrete.

Other firefighters and police officers who saw him fall immediately rushed to his aid, according to the Fire Department.

Santiago said the 40-year-old firefighter, a 13-year veteran of the department, suffered four broken ribs. He was being treated at Stroger Hospital, but his injuries were not life-threatening, and fire officials expected he would be released from the hospital later Wednesday morning.

"Falling from a second floor is really scary. He's very lucky where he landed, because he's in there right now talking to his wife," Santiago said.

The blaze was extinguished within 30 minutes and no other injuries were reported, according to Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.

Santiago said the fire started in the basement of the home and spread to the attic. It appeared to be an electrical fire.

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