A fast-moving morning blaze ripped through a South Chicago block on Wednesday, gutting one house and leaving two neighboring properties badly damaged as smoke poured over the street and neighbors watched firefighters rush in.
According to ABC7 Chicago, the fire broke out in the 7900-block of South Coles Avenue. Aerial Chopper7 footage showed one home destroyed and two adjacent houses with heavy damage, while Chicago Fire Department crews worked the scene to knock down the flames.
What firefighters faced
On dense South Side blocks, tightly spaced frame houses can turn a single-house fire into a multi-home emergency in minutes. As CFD District Chief of Special Operations Jamar Sullivan noted after a recent extra-alarm blaze, "Those houses are approximately four to five feet apart," a layout that can let fire jump from home to home, per CBS Chicago.
Recent pattern of multi-home blazes
This latest South Chicago fire lands in a spring marked by several quick-moving blazes that spread to neighboring homes and displaced families. In April, a Chicago Sun-Times account of an Austin fire described more than 20 people forced out after flames tore through three houses, a stark reminder of how fast damage can roll across a block; see the Chicago Sun-Times for more detail.
Safety reminders for neighbors
Neighbors on or near the block may want to treat this as a wake-up call to double-check basics at home. The U.S. Fire Administration's Fire Is Everyone's Fight campaign recommends working smoke alarms on every level of a residence and a practiced family escape plan so everyone knows how to get out and where to meet. For practical checklists and resources, visit the U.S. Fire Administration.
