A woman was rescued from an apartment building fire in Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood Tuesday morning, while a dog inside died in the blaze.
The fire broke out Tuesday morning in an apartment building in West Pullman, according to CBS News Chicago. The woman was pulled from the building and survived, while the dog was found dead at the scene, the station reported.
The fire began at the rear of a two-story apartment building near 120th Place and State Street. Firefighters initially believed the building was vacant, but found the woman on the second floor and used ladders to bring her out. She was evaluated by paramedics and declined medical treatment, Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Gary Brooks Sr. said in CBS Chicago’s account.
A Mixed Record for Pets in Recent Chicago Fires
Recent Chicago fires have had varying outcomes for animals inside. In Albany Park, a dog was rescued after a fire tore through a large apartment building, according to a separate report from cbsnews.com. In that incident, the Chicago Fire Department said no people were injured or hospitalized.
Not every recent fire has ended with survivors. A family of four was killed when a fire broke out overnight on November 5 in a Rogers Park home, according to blockclubchicago.org. Ald. Maria Hadden said the family’s dog also died in that fire, which the Chicago Fire Department said remained under investigation, the outlet reported.
The Rogers Park fire happened overnight, a period when multiple-fatality fires in residential buildings occurred most frequently nationally. From 2021 to 2023, the U.S. Fire Administration estimated an annual average of 200 fires in residential buildings that killed multiple people. Though such fires made up less than one-tenth of 1% of residential fires, they accounted for 26% of all fatalities resulting from residential building fires; 53% occurred between midnight and 6 a.m., federal fire data shows.
What Remains Unknown
Details surrounding the West Pullman fire, including its cause, the exact location, and the woman’s condition, have not been released. CBS News Chicago has not reported whether the fire remains under investigation or whether any other residents were displaced.
