One dead, 8 taken to hospitals in Chicago high-rise fire

Chicago: At least one person has died and eight others were taken to hospitals Wednesday as firefighters responded to a high-rise apartment building fire on the city’s South Side, Chicago authorities said.

The blaze began on the 15th floor of the Harper Square Cooperative at about 10 a.m. and spread vertically, Chicago Fire Department officials said in a media briefing.

Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said the eight people taken to hospitals were all stable by early Wednesday afternoon. She said one firefighter had a minor injury but was doing well, AP reported.

“The fire began on the 15th level and lapped up to the 24th level, travelling from one floor to another as firefighters raced to stay ahead of the flames,” she said.

“They did an outstanding job,” Nance-Holt said. “It just went straight vertically, and they did everything they could to put that fire out.”

King said many of the residents of the building are older. “I will tell you when I first walked up, I was aghast and my heart sunk,” she said. “But after talking to leadership, first responders, they have the situation under control.”

Video from outside the building in the Kenwood neighborhood showed flames on multiple floors before firefighters control the situation.

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