A massive fire tore through an apartment building in the Chatham neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side Tuesday evening, sending thick black smoke rolling over the block as neighbors watched firefighters swarm the scene.
Fire Near 79th and Calumet
Chopper 7 was over the area around 5 p.m., capturing large flames and dark smoke pouring from a multiunit building near 79th Street and Calumet Avenue. A heavy emergency response shut down some nearby streets while crews worked to get control of the blaze. Chicago fire officials said the fire was brought under control just after 5:20 p.m., and it was not immediately clear what sparked the blaze or whether anyone was injured, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Neighborhood Context
The incident came on the heels of another residential fire in Chatham this week. A separate suspicious blaze on Feb. 1 in the 8000 block of South Eberhart Avenue remains under investigation, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Investigators have not said whether they will consider the two incidents to be connected.
What Officials Say
City and fire officials have not yet released further details on injuries or the extent of the damage, and investigators were expected to follow up in the coming days. ABC7 Chicago noted that the story was still developing and would be updated as more information is released.
