Firefighter Falls Through Floor At Englewood Fire; No Injuries Reported
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A firefighter fell through a hole in the floor while battling a blaze at an apartment building in the Englewood neighborhood overnight.
Firefighters responded to a fire in a two-story apartment building near 68th and Aberdeen around 11:20 p.m. Thursday. Five people who live in the building got out unharmed before firefighters arrived.
About 20 minutes later, a firefighter fell through a hole in the floor on the second story.
"The company on the second floor encountered an open area in that building. One firefighter slipped," Fire Department Deputy District Chief Rosalind Jones said.
That firefighter fell through a hole from the second floor to the first, triggering a mayday call.
A short time later, the firefighter walked out of the building on his own. His comrades checked him out at the scene, but did he not suffer any serious injuries, according to the Fire Department.
"He was not transported. He was not injured. He was removed quickly by his company, and he continued to work, and he's doing well," Chicago Fire Deputy District Chief Rosalind Jones said.
Meantime, crews attacked the flames from the roof and the ground.
Flames later spread to the building next door, but firefighters got the blaze under control by 1:45 a.m.
However, smoke began pouring from the building again around 4 a.m., and around 6:30 a.m., flames began to spread again while crews were still on the scene monitoring hot spots.
As tired crews swapped out with a fresh team, firefighters had to navigate icy stairs, and slop through a mess created by massive water use, as well as wind chills of 15 below to douse flames again.
The all-clear came around 8 a.m. No injuries were reported.
