A towering column of smoke and bursts of flame roared from a multi-story residential building in Chicago’s South Shore on Tuesday evening, shrouding nearby blocks in soot and ash. Video circulating on social media showed heavy fire chewing through the rear of the structure near the 7400 block of South Merrill Avenue around 8 p.m. Chicago Fire Department crews rushed in and were still fighting the blaze into the night, and no injuries were immediately reported.
According to NBC Chicago, footage captured the smoke column rising around 8 p.m., visible from at least a mile away. The outlet also reported that CFD crews remained on scene as of 8:20 p.m.
South Shore Has Seen Several Multi Unit Blazes This Spring
This latest fire comes on the heels of other dangerous apartment blazes on the Far South Side in recent weeks. As reported by a May 17 fire near 67th and Crandon, that earlier incident sent two residents and a firefighter to the hospital and left the building a total loss. Advocates say displaced tenants often face long waits for inspections and temporary housing after multi-unit fires.
What Officials Say And Next Steps
City officials had not released a cause or updated damage assessment early Wednesday, and “No additional information was immediately available,” according to NBC Chicago. Fire investigators and city inspectors typically move in once crews get the blaze under control, and we will update this story as authorities provide more details.
