Firefighters battle extra-alarm blaze in Boystown

Sat. August 27, 2011 2:56 PM by GoPride.com News Staff

fire in 800 block of w. cornelia

photo credit // @behindxthiswall (yfrog.com)

Three-story apartment building near Cornelia and Halsted erupted in flames at 2 p.m. Sat.

Chicago, IL - Chicago firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire Saturday afternoon on the 800 block of West Cornelia, just west of Halsted St. in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.

The extra alarm fire was called around 2 p.m. for a 3-story u-shaped apartment building at 847 W. Cornelia.

Flames and thick black smoke could be seen for miles as the blaze erupted. More than 100 firefighters were dispatched to the scene.

The 2-11 alarm was raised to 3-11 at about 3 p.m., according to the Chicago Fire Department.

The blaze took firefighters more than an hour to extinguish as people gathered nearby to watch. Several onlookers tweeted photos they had taken with their cell phones (see photo inset).

ChicagoPride.com photojournalist Anthony Meade reports the fire has affected at least two buildings as flames also damaged a nearby structure.

According to Meade, most of the damage was to the back of the building along the stairwell and porches. There was damage to at least 7 units, including the apartment of Grab Magazine publisher Stacy Bridges.

One firefighter was treated for extreme heat, but there have been no additional reports of serious injuries.

 

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