AVONDALE — More than 150 firefighters battled a blaze that engulfed three homes on the border of Avondale and Logan Square late Friday afternoon.
The two-alarm fire broke out in the 3500 block of West Diversey Avenue sometime around 3:04 p.m. and damaged three homes, said Deputy District Fire Chief John Giordano.
Firefighters arrived on the scene a few minutes later to find “heavy fire” in the back of two buildings, which quickly engulfed a third building on the east side, Giordano said. None of the residents of the buildings were injured, though three people were reportedly inside when the fire struck, according to Giordano.
One firefighter was injured and sent to the hospital with a shoulder injury. He is listed in good condition.
Giordano said the “main reason” there are so many firefighters on the scene — about 155 in total — is because it’s hot outside and the department is rotating in firefighters to work the blaze. There are also up to 40 emergency responders on the scene.
Asked how firefighters are battling this particular blaze, Giordano said, “We fight it the same way, but we fight it at shorter periods. We bring in more personnel. … we relieve them and we rotate companies in. When we see fires to this extent, we’ll have more personnel to keep our members safe.”
The cause of the fire is unknown and is currently under investigation. Officials are still determining how many people were displaced.
The fire shut down Diversey Avenue between Kimball and Central Park avenues.
This is a developing story.
Comments are closed.