6 dead in Chicago high-rise fire
( 2003-10-18 16:17) (Chicago Tribune)
Six people died of injuries in a fire on Friday at a 35-story building in the
Loop in the heart of downtown. Several more were taken to hospitals, many in
serious or critical condition.
The police and fire officials said they did not know the cause of the fire,
which appears to have started around 5 p.m. on the 12th floor of the Cook County
administration building, at 69 West Washington Street. Billowing smoke poured
out of the building for several minutes.
About 175 firefighters contained the fire in about 90 minutes.
Fire officials said 13 people were found in the building, some in
smoke-filled stairwells, after the fire was controlled. Some were conscious and
breathing, but others were not, officials said.
``The people that have passed away appeared to be for the most part from one
area in one stairwell,'' Fire Superintendent James Joyce told The Associated
Press.
The victims were taken to three hospitals, where they were treated for smoke
inhalation. A spokeswoman for Northwestern Memorial Hospital said three of the
nine victims there had died of their injuries. She did not know if all of the
families had been notified, and officials had not yet released the identities of
the victims.
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