Woman who died in high-rise fire called 911

Woman who died in high-rise fire called 911
By Jeremy Gorner, Carlos Sadovi and Liam Ford
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
December 10, 2009 10:46 AM
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/12/extra-alarm-fire-at-gold-coast-high-rise.html


The elderly woman who died in a five-alarm Streeterville high-rise fire early this morning had called 911 to report smoke in her condo and then tried to get out.

Firefighters found her badly burned body near the front door of her 36th-floor apartment. But even if she had gotten out, it probably wouldn't have saved her life.

"We had smoke in the hallways already, so she probably wouldn't have had a good chance," said Fire Commissioner John W. Brooks.

Records indicate an 84-year-old woman lived in the apartment, but the dead woman remained unidentified this morning. In addition to her, 12 others were hurt in the blaze--seven residents and five firefighters.

More than 200 residents of the 44-floor building at 260 E. Chestnut St. ran out into the single-digit, bitter cold after the fire broke out about 12:45 a.m. About 300 firefighters were called to the scene. (Tribune photos / Your photos)

The fire was reported extinguished shortly before 3:30 a.m. It was the same building where one resident died in a fire and eight firefighters were injured nearly eight years ago.

"It was pretty scary," said Jeff Amsel, who took his 6-year-old daughter Alicia to the roof, where they eventually were rescued and taken out down a freight elevator by firefighters. "We were the only ones up there. It reminded me of 9/11.

"The smoke was billowing up from the fire and the wind was blowing it back onto us. The smoke was stinging our eyes. It was really scary. I called 911 to let them know we were on the roof and they said they would get us." (see related story)

The most seriously of the injured was a man in his 50s, taken in critical condition to Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital with smoke inhalation.

A Northwestern Memorial Hospital spokeswoman said the hospital received 10 people from the fire. Of those, eight were treated and released by 10:30 a.m. Two remained hospitalized, one person was in fair condition and another person was being evaluated, she said.

Chicago Fire Department Spokesman Cmdr. Will Knight said a 105-year-old woman was among the injured and carried down from her apartment by Chicago firefighters.

The injured residents appeared to be suffering from smoke inhalation. The nature of the firefighters' injuries wasn't available.

Firefighters searched the entire building unit by unit looking for possible victims before declaring the scene secured.

Brooks said the fire began in Apartment 3601 and shot out the window, breaking glass and crawling up the outside of the building to the 37th floor, where it snaked back into the building. Smoke filled the hallways on the 36th and 37th floors, he said.

Ten people were displaced by the fire and were being aided by the American Red Cross.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Occupants of some three dozen apartments on the 36th, 41st and 42nd floors had called firefighters for help, reporting smoke in their apartments, Langford said. Many of the residents sought refuge in the lobby of the burning building, which has at least 250 units. Others went to lobbies of neighboring buildings, or to a CTA bus behind one of the neighboring buildings to warm up.

A crowd of onlookers took photos of the fire from the corner of Dewitt Place and Chestnut.

Chicago police cordoned off Chestnut from between Lake Shore Drive and roughly Mies Van Der Rohe Way.

A few dozen emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, ambulances and police and fire squad cars, occupied Chestnut between Mies Van Der Rohe and Lake Shore. Other emergency vehicles were stationed along Dewitt, south of Chestnut, near Pearson Street.