Operations & Training

Chicago Firefighters Rescue Child, Man from Apartment Fire

Dec. 18, 2024

The trapped man said he waited "for the good Fire Department of Chicago to help me out."

Firefighters rushed to get people out of a burning three-story apartment building Wednesday morning in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.

Paramedics took a child to Comer Children's Hospital in good condition.

Charles Okeke said he couldn't leave his third-floor apartment due to the smoke, CBS Chicago reported.

"I heard the smoke alarm in the building saying, 'fire, fire, fire,' but I couldn't walk down the hallway because it was thick and covered up in smoke. So I had to stand by the window and wait for the good Fire Department of Chicago to help me out," he said.

He was not hurt in the fire that remains under investigation.

About the Author

Susan Nicol | News Editor

Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.